Keep it up: a 10-minute kindergarten beach ball counting game
What it is: a short movement game for kindergarten where the class stands in a circle and works together to keep a beach ball in the air, counting each tap. Students practice eye-hand coordination, teamwork and counting past 10.
Time: about 10 minutes. Grade: kindergarten.
Materials: one or two inflated beach balls (or a soft scrunched-paper ball in a small room), and open space.
- Stand in a circle an arm's length apart. Show a gentle tap with open hands, sending the ball up, not hard.
- Tap the ball into the air. The class counts each tap aloud together.
- When the ball touches the floor, write the count on the board and start again from 1.
- Add a rule for teamwork: no one taps twice in a row.
- After 4 or 5 tries, compare the counts: "Which try was our highest? What helped?"
Safety: use a soft, light ball, tap with open hands only, and clear chairs and tables away from the circle.
Differentiation: students who need support can catch and toss instead of tapping. Students who are ready count by 2s or count backward from 20. Students who use a wheelchair can tap from their chair; keep the ball low.
Quick check: stop on a count, such as 13, and ask a student what number comes next.
Need it for another grade or subject? Ask us on the request page and our team will write it.
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About this resource
- Shared by
- @UpOnlyLearning · Curriculum team
- Posted
- Oct 30, 2026
- Type
- Lesson plan
- Grade
- Grades K–2
- Subject
- Life skills & money
- Language
- English
- License
- Free for classroom, co-op and tutoring use. Please don't resell.