Directions for Young Children on How to Play Baseball
- 1). Keep instructional times short. Young children will not have the attention spans to sit and listen to all the rules of the game. Consider taking a baseball and drawing a smiley face or funny pictures on it to keep them engaged while explaining how to hold the ball.
- 2). Place bases a maximum of 50 feet apart. Demonstrate how children tag the bases with their feet and which direction to run by having them chase you around the bases. Then chase the children around the bases. Make sure they start at home plate and always touch first base next.
- 3). Teach catching with Ping-Pong balls and no gloves. Tell children the ball is very sneaky and they have to watch it all the way into their hands. Develop confidence in their catching and tracking skills with two hands before adding gloves and a bigger ball.
- 4). Use sponge rubber balls to teach catching with gloves. This makes safety a priority when you teach the basic mechanics of the game. Instruct children to act like alligators whenever a ball comes their way, using both hands to chomp down on the ball.
- 5). Use a tee for beginning batters to hit the ball. Switch to softly thrown pitches by adults, using sponge rubber balls. Graduate to soft baseballs known as safety balls. Six-year-olds may start to hit with real baseballs thrown gently by adults.
- 6). Focus on technique and accuracy to teach throwing and pitching skills. Teach the children to grip the ball across the seams, step forward on the opposite leg of their throwing arm, turn the non-throwing shoulder in the direction they want the ball to fly, and keep the elbow above the throwing shoulder while they throw. Set garbage cans on their sides at which children can aim and throw large numbers of balls. Make it a game to see who can get the most balls into their cans. Learning to throw low and accurate will prevent bad habits later on that make balls sail high, according to Randy Voorhees, author of "Making Little League Baseball More Fun For Kids." Progress to using pitching nets for throwing practice.
- 7). Hold practice scrimmages with the children playing against each other. Help children understand the rules of the game while they play. Keep it lighthearted and fun and celebrate with treats afterward.
