Learning in an Instant: Balloon Bop

• 12 years ago

Give a kid a balloon and you’ll instantly cure any sign of boredom. Have you ever noticed that balloon play always leads to a game of balloon bop? You know, where you have to keep the balloon in the air by skillfully and energetically bopping it repeatedly? Just the process of this balloon bop play is  great for hand/eye coordination, but the learning doesn’t have to stop there!

Here are a few ideas for adding an educational spin on this childhood favorite!

•  Have them count and see how many consecutive hits they can get before the balloon touches the floor. 
• Encourage them to say a letter with each bop. Can they get through the entire alphabet before the balloon drops?
• Challenge them to come up with words that begin with a specific letter sound with each swat. How many can they think of under pressure?

Do you have ideas for more ways to play? Please share them in the comments section!