Keeping Kids in Motion
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The Ricochet and The Pot and Pan Challenge – 2 Great Activities for Family Fun!
I was racking my brain trying to think of engaging activities that siblings and parents could do together at home when I recalled two challenges my kids were obsessed with a few years ago.
Both The Ricochet Challenge and the Pot and Pan Challenge (P & P Challenge) were not only fun and engaging but also took creativity, patience, and a lot of teamwork. The best part is they only require a few household items.
Let’s take a look!
The Ricochet Challenge
Challenge:
Bounce a ping pong ball off the ground, then into the wall and into a cup as many times as possible in one minute.
What you’ll need:
- 1-3 ping pong balls or similar ball
- 1 plastic cup
- A weight to place in the cup or a roll of duct tape to prevent the cup from falling over
- Flat vertical surface or wall
- Hard floor or cutting board as shown in the video.
How to play:
Set up a plastic cup about one foot away from the wall. Secure the cup with a weight to prevent it from falling over. I placed the cup in a roll of duct tape rather than adding weight. On the signal to begin, the player attempts to bounce the ball off the floor, into the wall, then into the cup.
The Pot and Pan Challenge A.K.A. The P&P Challenge
Challenge:
Bounce a ball off 3 or more pots and/or pans consecutively then into a cup.
They set the bar, now it’s your turn to beat it! 5 bounces, then in the cup!
Guidelines: – #PPChallenge
What you’ll need:
- 1 ping pong ball (any light-weight ball)
- 3 or more pots and/or cans
- 1 cup (start larger to increase success)
- items such as boxes to lean the pots and pans against
How to play:
Begin with just two pots/pans. Practice bouncing the ball off each one then into the cup. As you learn about angles and make necessary adjustments, you’ll begin to experience some success. Then introduce another pot/pan.
This challenge will test your patience.
However, each time your ball bounces into the cup, the feeling of success is priceless.
This video shows my son’s record: 4 pans, 5 bounces, then in the cup! Believe me when I tell you it didn’t happen on the first attempt!
Here’s one more to try using stools.
Enjoy these challenges for the whole family!
If anyone takes the challenge, I’d love for you to share it on Twitter with the hashtag #potpanchallenge.
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