This is a fun outdoor game designed to teach kids not to chase a ball into the street. Start by getting a round ball of any type. Then create a barrier on your lawn or play area, using rope, chalk, or some other divider. Tell your children that this is the imaginary street.

Have all the kids stand to one side, then back away from the divider about 20 or 30 feet. A parent or teacher stands on the same side behind them and then tosses the ball towards this imaginary line. All the kids run to chase after it.

The goal is to try and capture the ball without crossing the line. (It helps to have another adult acting as a line judge.) If it crosses, the children must stop at the divider, watch, wait for it to stop, and then ask a teacher if they can go get it. If they snag the ball, they get a point. But if they happen to run across the divider, they must sit out for 3 turns.

The point of this game is to get kids in the habit of checking themselves whenever chasing after a ball. By playing this game, hopefully you’ll develop a voice in the back of their mind that shouts: “Wait! Stop! Watch for the boundary!” This way in real life, they never chase a ball into the street.