Toys can be more than what they seem at first glance. For example, balls are not just for throwing and catching or making baskets. They also roll and bounce.

Try teaching  your child to play ball against a wall. For young children, use a nerf ball. It won’t bounce too wildly. It can be used on a wall or door inside the house. For older children, if the weather permits, use a hand-sized rubber ball against the house or garage door outside. If you’re snowed or chilled in, try bouncing against a basement wall.

This game is a useful one for when children need to play alone. It is also a game that builds eye-hand coordination. You also can teach your child numbers or words with this game.

• Count how many times your child catches the ball (Catching in a row is the most difficult, but you can make it easier by counting catches over a certain period of time. Make the time pretty short for young children or those new to the game.

• Spell words with a letter for each catch. With more than one player see who can spell a whole word without missing a catch. Make it harder by letting one person be the thrower and the other person be the catcher (and speller). This would be a lot like playing H-O-R-S-E in basketball

When done with these games, ask your child what game he can think of to play with a ball.