Teaching Children to Throw

Throwing

Throwing is an important ball play skill that we work on as Pediatric Physical Therapists. It requires upper body strength, hand eye coordination, motor planning, balance, and body awareness.

As with all developmental skills, motivation, participation, and practice are key!

Throwing Milestones

Children develop throwing skills gradually. Here is a general progression:

8–12 months: Rolls a ball forward
12–14 months: Flings a ball in any direction
15–18 months: Throws a ball by extending the arm while maintaining balance
19–22 months: Throws overhand forward
23–26 months: Throws underhand forward
26–30 months: Throws overhand with a more mature arm position
29–36 months: Throws underhand with a more mature arm position
38–42 months: Throws 10 feet overhand with trunk rotation and arms and legs working in opposition
38–42 months: Hits a target from 5 feet away with an underhand throw
43–46 months: Hits a target from 5 feet away with an overhand throw
45–48 months: Throws 10 feet underhand with trunk rotation and arms and legs working in opposition

Remember that developmental milestones are a guide, not a deadline. Children develop these skills at different rates.

Tips to Teach Children to Throw

Start with Rolling

Before a child can throw, it helps to become comfortable playing with a ball. Rolling a ball back and forth teaches turn-taking, cause and effect, visual tracking, and hand eye coordination.

Start by sitting on the floor and rolling a ball between you and your child. Soft, lightweight, or textured balls can be especially fun for young children.

Try Easy to Hold Ball

A lightweight ball with an easy to grasp surface can make learning to throw much easier.

An O-ball, for example, is lightweight and easy for little hands to grasp and release. Start with rolling, then encourage your child to pick up and hold the ball. As their strength and coordination develop, they can progress from dropping the ball to intentionally releasing it, and eventually throwing it.

Start Big, Then Make it SmallerA larger ball can be easier for young children to manage at first. It provides a bigger target and encourages the use of both hands.

As your child becomes stronger and more comfortable, try gradually decreasing the size of the ball. This encourages more precise hand control and eventually makes it easier to practice throwing with one hand.

Change the Target

Throwing back and forth with another person is great practice, but changing the target can make the activity even more engaging.

Try having your child:

Knock down bowling pins or colorful cones
Throw at a tower of blocks
Toss bean bags into a basket
Throw clothes into the laundry basket
Aim for a child-sized basketball hoop

These activities help children practice aiming, accuracy, and force control while keeping throwing fun.

Model Overhand and Underhand Throwing

Children learn a lot by watching others. Demonstrate overhand and underhand throwing and encourage your child to imitate you.

For children who need a little extra help learning the movement, you can gently guide their arms through the motion.

Simple verbal cues can help, too:

Overhand: “Put it to your ear and throw!”

Underhand: “Swing it by your side and throw!”

Keep the focus on the movement rather than perfect form. With practice, the pattern will become more natural.

Practice in Different Ways

As your child becomes more comfortable throwing, gradually change the equipment, target, distance, or environment.

For example, in the images above, the same child practices throwing to different targets, from tossing a ball into a low basket to shooting a basketball into a hoop.

Changing the challenge helps children generalize their throwing skills, build confidence, and use the skill in new situations.

For more fun with ball play skills, check out Teaching Children to Catch here!