Teach Your Child How to Juggle

Have you ever been to the circus and watched those performers juggle while riding a unicycle? Isn’t it fascinating to watch these acts? Being multi-talented such as that juggler takes a lot of practice and a certain amount of stamina to complete this successfully. If you have always wanted to learn how to juggle or teach your child how to juggle there’s no time like the present to get the ball, or balls, rolling (or juggling).

It’s important that regardless of how difficult a task can seem, you make your child aware that no one has ever learned to do anything without practice and patience. Patience being the operative word, if at any time your child begins to feel frustrated from practicing juggling they should take a time-out and take a moment away from practicing. Let them know it’s okay to feel frustrated, everyone has from time to time, but practice makes perfect and never giving up will make them successful.

Preschool
Start your preschooler out with juggling with two medium sized soft balls. This will take some time for them to get this accomplished. Holding a ball in both hands, they should start out throwing the ball lightly in the air with the hand they write with, if they are right handed they should start with their right hand. Once the ball gets directly in front of them they should transfer the ball in their left hand to their right hand and catch the first ball in their left hand. The repeat.

Once they have mastered the two-ball juggling they should learn how to switch hand juggle, which will introduce three-ball juggling. Switch hand juggling has the juggler start out with throwing the ball in their right hand to their left and throwing the left hand ball to their right. Have them again start out with the hand they write with, count one, two and then throw the opposite ball. Make sure they are throwing light enough to catch it in their other hand.

Main points to address:

• Give them two medium sized soft balls to practice with.
• Introduce switch hand juggling.

Grades K-3rd
Once your children have the two-ball juggle down, give them three balls to juggle. Although this will be a frustrating task to complete encourage them that practice is important to mastering anything. This time give your child smaller balls to use, continue using soft balls though.

Again with the hand they write with have them hold two balls in that hand and one in the other. In the same manner they did with the switch juggle, have them throw one of the two balls toward their other hand, just before they catch that ball have them throw the ball in their other hand and again with the third ball.

Again encourage your child to practice, as this task will take a lot of practice to be successful.

Main points to address:

• Introduce three balls, once your child has mastered the two-ball juggling.
• Encourage them to practice this task as much as possible until they feel confident.

Grades 4th-6th
After your children have mastered the three-ball juggling act, you can now introduce using a variety of different objects, such as bowling pins or other oblong objects. There are a variety of objects that are safe that your child will have fun practicing with, be creative and have fun juggling.

Main points to address:

• Introduce a variety of other objects to juggle with.
• Encourage your children to be successful they must practice.

Resources
Resources that can help you in your venture include:

• How to Juggle Three balls – http://www.yoyoguy.com/info/ball/index2.html
• Juggling Information – http://www.juggling.org/
• The Internet Juggling Database – http://www.jugglingdb.com/

Posted in Leisure.

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