Its fun to toss bean bags. (Bean Bags)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Bean Bags
Date:	24/07/08 (789 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good cheap toy

Disadvantages: none

Bean bag, not the sort you sit on.


I have played with many bean bags in my career working with children .They are a really good alternative to a ball can be used for the same games. Bean bags have the advantage of not rolling away are usually softer than a ball, they do not bounce or roll though.

Some of the bean bags I use at work are about 4 inches square some slightly bigger at about 6 inches these are more rectangular. They are bags made of fabric and filled with beans the bag is completely sewn up the beans enclosed.
You can buy bean bag balls and many other bean bags in many different interesting shapes some animal ones frog ones are very popular.
Bean bags are filled with either dried beans, not kidney beans, raw kidney beans are toxic. . They are often filled with polystyrene balls too. Some of the bean bags I noticed online had a sensory smell to them to an herby one.


Bean bags are I deal for playing many games with. They are easier to grasp than a ball. Bean bags are ideal for early childhood games and perfect for using with disabled students. I work with many children with difficulty in grasping an object bean bags been easier to grasp/catch than a ball enable my students to play. These bean bags and the games we play help pupils practice their gross and fine motor skills.

Bean bags are good for placing in a Childs hand and letting them feel the beans squeeze them and manipulate the bean bag and while doing so exercise their fingers and hand.
I imagine they might be also useful in this way for older people with poor hand movement due to arthritis. They are good sensory and tactile tools

Games that can be played with bean bags.
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Any simple catch and throw game the bag game can be played. Good for our students to practice eye hand coordination skills.

You can play target games where the bean bag has to go into a net; we sometimes use a bucket or box as our target.

Your child can practice balancing skills walking tall balancing bean bag on his/her head. A good sports day race those in wheel chairs can also balance bean bags on their heads and compete with more able bodied students.

Bean bags can be stacked in piles as a game to practice coordination skills.
Bean bags can be placed into trucks and wheeled about.

Bean bags in lessons.
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Bean bags are good tools for basic math's they are fun to count. Matching games can be played with assorted colour bags. They can be used in sorting games.

There are 10001 ways you can play use a bean bag and equally as many places you can buy them

Frog beanbags made from soft feel durable vinyl. Are available from http://www.betterlifehealthcare.com/view_ product.php?prodID=1860
Bean bags made from washable linen like fabric in the shape of ducks, lion's frogs as well as some standard squares are available in sets of about 4 or 5 from http://www.newitts.com/search/beanbags.htm costing from about £5-£8.
There are many other sites offering bean bags they are a fairly cheap toy, just type in bean bag to your search.

If you wish you could also make your own bean bags Patterns available from http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/easysewin1/l/blbe anbag.htm or also at http://www.frogstore.com/frogbeanie.htm
Polystyrene balls available from.http://www.protonsupplies.com/Mouldings%2C+Ba lls%2C +Shapes+%26+Sheets-c297.html

An extra dimension could be added to your bean bag by adding dried lavender or mint giving more sensory use to it
A bean bag is fairly easy to make an ideal holiday task for your child fun to make give as a present or keep.


Have fun tossing those bean bags. Mary

Summary: small bean bags to use instead of balls