Virtual games of catch – social skills activities in teletherapy to strengthen connection - Social Skills Activities for Children with Autism

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Many children find it difficult to feel connected with their teacher or therapist through computer screens. I designed this set of activities to strengthen ties between professionals and children and between children.

In our offices and classrooms, many of us play games of catch with children for sensory breaks, to encourage turn-taking and other reasons. By pretending to throw an imaginary ball back and forth to one another on screen, we can extend these throwing activities into teletherapy – and even make them better. The following set of images tells you how to employ “virtual games of catch” to teach conversation reciprocity and facilitate connection with children in remote teaching and remote teletherapy. I have used this method a great deal in my own teletherapy work.

First, you decide what kind of pretend ball you and the child wish to use.

This picture shows how you hold your hands as you were actually holding a real ball.

Then, you say the name of the person, throw the pretend ball, and say "Catch it."

Then the other person catches the pretend ball, they throw it back to you.

This shows some examples of fun, silly variations you can use for playing pretend catch.

This graphic explains the different ways you can use the "magic ball."

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