What really matters- Ball Play is great for basic exploration of objects.  I always have to remind myself that I take for granted all the knowledge I have about how things work but for babies these are their first experiences. They are just figuring out how it works and forming their first relationships with all the different types of objects in the world. When baby’s move around and play with objects like balls, we can see the way they think. They are very interested in the effects of their actions on objects and how different objects behave in different ways. They may be paying attention to physical features of an object and the similarity between objects. Infants use their mouth to explore almost anything they can grasp and get there. They do this to gain information both about the shape of the object and the capacity of their mouth. The mouth is like a third hand that is very sensitive and can receive lots of information about things, especially about the spatial world. (read more about I3 Dev Focus: Exchanges)

How to put it into practice- Watch for what your baby is most interested in about the ball. Is it the sound it makes if there is a bell in it. Is it some property of the ball such as holes in it or protrusions coming out of it. At first your child might be intrigued simply by the unpredictability of a ball's action.  But be alert for a shift of interest to the path of the ball.  At first play as if rolling itself is the game.  Later play as if rolling to a place is the game. There are all sorts of variations to create as you follow your child’s lead.

Why- Balls are a classic open-ended material with lots of ways to play and lots of things to figure out. Unlike a cube that slides when pushed, a ball rolls.  It moves in a continuous motion for a greater distance.  Thus the ball both frustrates and excites the infant.  One has to be careful not to accidentally send it to the other side of the room.  Yet if such propulsion is expected, the power of doing so is delightful. The dynamics of moving balls, once learned, will help the child make better predictions of effects and learn the physics of form and function.