Have fun tilting the DIY Balance Ball Dexterity Game till the balls roll and stay in the holes. This is an easy craft for kids to make from a recycled box, and a great way to build eye hand coordination!
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Cute Craft Alert: Fun Teeter Game Memories
We used to get little miniature handheld balance ball dexterity games when we had school fairs or events where we got small prizes. Small little metal balls rolled into the holes in the game. Usually there was a clown or a funny picture on the "teeter game".
We would have fun and develop our eye hand coordination at the same time and didn’t even know it! That’s the purpose of this DIY balance ball dexterity game too. The game's fun to make and play so don’t tell anybody that you gain skills at the same time! :-).
In this craft tutorial, we'll walk through all the supplies kids need to make this game before jumping into a step-by-step tutorial. Check out the craft tips and variations at the end for extra help!
What is Dexterity?
Dexterity can be defined as, "the ability to perform a difficult action quickly and skillfully with the hands" (Cambridge Dictionary). This is developing as kids use fine motor skills and engage in tasks with their hands!
A great way to grow in dexterity is through manipulating small objects with the hands and fingers. Crafts like weaving and folding origami can be great ways to grow in dexterity, so can games that focus on gaining hand skills!
Dexterity games are games that use physical movement, you move and manipulate the game in some way. This develops the physical movement skill with practice
Supplies for a Ball Balance Game
You don’t need many supplies to bring this cute dexterity game to life!
- Recycled box- A recycle box is the base of this game. A pizza box works well, but so would a shoebox or any other box with a nice flat surface in the bottom.
- Balls- Use marbles, small rubber bouncing balls, large wooden beads, or small cat toy balls, depending on the size of your game.
- White paper- Line the bottom of your game with white paper (optional).
- Markers- Color a design on the surface of your game with colored markers.
- Other supplies- Scissors, Glue
Steps to Make Dexterity Board Games
Design the game
Lay the box on top of the white paper and trace around it for size. Cut this out and trim the paper so it fits inside the bottom of the box.
Decide how many balls you want to use in your game. I used eight wooden beads for the larger pizza sized box. Seven smaller balls which were marbles worked well in the smaller box.
Keep this in mind as you create a design in the bottom of your box. Where will the holes be for the balls in your design? Use your colored markers to make a design on the paper, marking where the holes are going to be.
Glue this to the bottom of the box and let the glue dry.
Add holes
Poke holes with a scissors where each of the holes are supposed to be for the balls. Enlarge the holes with the scissors and by pressing the balls down into the holes that you have started.
You want the hole to be large enough to let the ball settle into it. But not so large that it will drop through the bottom of the box. Keep enlarging the holes until you reach this goal.
Play the game!
Place the same number of balls down inside in the box as you have holes and give the game a try!
By tipping the box you roll the balls around until each one settles into a hole. That’s the point of the game! Time yourself and then try to beat your time.
Craft Tips for Balance Ball Games
- Change the ball size- If your balance game is larger, use larger balls such as small rubber bouncy balls. For smaller games use smaller balls like marbles.
- Smooth the glue- Go over the glue with your finger so that it smoothly covers the cardboard surface before putting the paper on. This glues the paper more smoothly to the cardboard.
Craft Variations
Here are a few variations you’re welcome to try with this fun balance dexterity game:
- Different box size- Try different sizes of boxes to make these games. A pizza box works well for a larger shallow game box. The bigger the box the bigger the game.
- Box with a lid- A gift size box with a lid works well because you can put the lid on the game and not lose the marbles or balls. Then the game can be a travel game as well as stored more easily.
- Use a picture design- The picture on the game surface can be a design or a drawing of any sort. You could even use a photograph.
FAQ
Dexterity involves gaining skill in tasks and often is referring to skills using your hands. So dexterity in games would involve gaining hand skills through playing the games.
Dexterity games are games that use physical movement, you move and manipulate the game in some way. This develops fine motor skills in the hands, using physical movement to gain skill with practice.
Dexterity games create opportunities for kids to use their hands to grow in skill. This DIY Balance Ball game is a dexterity game! Some popular purchased dexterity games are- Jenga, Yeti in my Spaghetti, IceCool, Happy Salmon, Coconuts, Junk Art, Don’t Rock the Boat, Animal Upon Animal, Rhino Hero, and PitchCar. There a variety of best dexterity board games.
More DIY Dexterity Crafts for Kids
Looking for more easy games and crafts for kids that will challenge their dexterity and eye hand coordination? Here are a few of our favorites:
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Fun DIY Balance Ball Dexterity Game
Equipment
- none needed
Items Required
- Recycled box
- Balls Use marbles, small rubber bouncing balls, large wooden beads, or small cat toy balls, depending on the size of your game
- White paper craft paper
- colored markers
- Other supplies Scissors, Glue
Instructions
- Lay the box on top of the white paper and trace around it for size. Cut this out and trim the paper so it fits inside the bottom of the box.Decide how many balls you want to use in your game.Keep this in mind as you create a design in the bottom of your box. Where will the holes be for the balls in your design? Use your colored markers to make a design on the paper, marking where the holes are going to be.Glue this to the bottom of the box and let the glue dry.
- Poke holes with a scissors where each of the holes are supposed to be for the balls. Enlarge the holes with the scissors and by pressing the balls down into the holes that you have started.You want the hole to be large enough to let the ball settle into it. But not so large that it will drop through the bottom of the box. Keep enlarging the holes until you reach this goal.
- Game instructions: Place the same number of balls down inside in the box as you have holes and give the game a try! By tipping the box you roll the balls around until each one settles into a hole. That’s the point of the game! Time yourself and then try to beat your time.
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