An autograph beach ball is one of my favorite end of year activities to do with my students. I’ve been doing it for years and still love it! And so we wanted to share with you how we do it and give you a free flyer to get your class to donate beach balls.
We start by sending home a free flyer to collect beach balls. You can order them online if you want, but we usually just ask the students to send one in and have never had a problem with it. (Keep reading for the free flyer).
I have learned over the years that the best way to do make autograph beach balls is to have everyone sit in a circle on the carpet. So we come to the carpet and sit to listen to directions.
Next, we hand out the markers. We do have a class set of Sharpies that we use year after year. We only bring these out for special occasions and projects like his. I explain to the kids that these are special markers and to be very careful not to get the marker on their clothes or fingers as best they can.
Next, I hand out the balls. Each child gets one ball. In my class we never worry about getting the ball they brought it. Everyone brought a ball, and everyone leaves with a ball.
I show the students the direction we will be passing the ball and tell them not to pass the ball until I say. We sign our name and then lightly blow on it. When everyone is ready I say pass. We all pass in a circle to the next student. Sign and pass. Sign and pass. This process repeats itself until we have made it all the way around the circle. (I will always put a small star or dot on the white part of the ball for one student so we know where the stopping point is).
After doing this for years here are my pro tips:
-Blow up the balls ahead of time. Use an air compressor and just bring them in in bags. (Hubs does this for me).
-We don’t worry about getting the ball they brought in. Everyone leaves with a ball.
-Write “I had a ball in _____!” on the ball ahead of time for the kids.
– You may have to have your kiddos blow on their name each time just for a few seconds. This will help with smearing.
-Some students will need help passing the ball to their neighbor. Such is kindergarten. LOL
– If you want to make extra balls for students who are absent, just rotate some extra balls in and have a dependable student rotate the ball next to them on the ground each time.
And there you have it. A fun autograph beach ball your students can enjoy all summer!
And we tried to make it super easy for you with this free flyer you can send home to get your beach balls donated.