Today is the Boston Red Sox home opener at Fenway Park. It is a good as time as any to do some baseball related lessons and activities in your early childhood education classroom. Fun baseball related activities can be done both inside and outside.

First and foremost, is actually playing a little baseball. Having the children hit off a batting tee is a great gross motor activity that builds hand eye coordination. In addition, you can have children practice running the base paths and fielding the ball. Using tennis balls is the best way to do this as they are soft enough to not lead to injuries but also bouncy enough to make the proceedings fun. To make hitting the ball even easier you can also use larger light bouncy ball the size of kick balls so children can have easier success hitting the ball. You can take a field trip to a local Little League field or make a make shift baseball diamond using cones, chalk or anything  else that might be handy .

Children can also learn baseball related vocabulary such as pitcher, batter, home run and other basic terms and concepts. Children can also build their vocabulary by describing how a baseball feels vs other balls like a tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, and soccer ball. Science experiences can be done to see how each type of ball bounces and rolls differently.

Baseball learning can be incorporated into all aspects of a curriculum. For instance, drawing a strike zone on a wall can be a target for children to hit and then you can make a chart where you track how many balls and strikes are thrown. You can also make a chart of the Red Sox or your locks teams wins and losses and learn how to read standings and a box score. For music, there is no better time to sing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” than opening day.

 Playing a game of wall ball using a tennis ball where a child throws the ball off the wall and tries to field it after the bounce and then repeats can be a fun activity for both an individual child or a group .

At art, children can design their own baseball logo, jersey, and cap and or color in the jersey, logo, and cap of their favorite team.

if you have the ability, you can even watch some of the Opening Day game in class and make special baseball related snacks for a project to culminate all the fun. 

You can also incorporate baseball into block activities with this lesson plan.

Lesson Title: Design Your Own Baseball Park with Blocks

Objective: Preschoolers will design their own baseball park using blocks or LEGO bricks while learning about famous baseball stadiums such as Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.

Age Group: 3-5 years old

Duration: 45 minutes

Materials:

1. Blocks or LEGO bricks of various sizes and colors

2. Photos or a slideshow of famous baseball stadiums (Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, etc.)

3. Large open space or table for building

4. Green construction paper or a green tablecloth for simulating the field

5. Optional: printed images of baseball players, scoreboards, and flags for decoration

Lesson Procedure:

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

   • Begin by asking the children if they have ever been to a baseball game or seen one on TV.

   • Explain that baseball games take place in large stadiums called baseball parks.

   • Show photos of famous baseball parks, such as Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, and point out the key features (e.g., the field, the stands, the scoreboard).

   • Provide children with a variety of legos or blocks and have them design their own ball parks. Remind the children it is ok for their ball park to be unique and different as some of the most famous ballparks like Fenway Park are unique

     Sharing and Discussion (5 minutes)

     • Have each child share their baseball park with the class.

     • Encourage them to explain their favorite features and any unique details they included.

     • Discuss the similarities and differences between the children's baseball parks and the famous parks they learned about earlier in the lesson.

Here are some books you can read as well about baseball, The Boston Red Sox, and Fenway Park as park of the lessons too.

1. "Growing Up Pedro: Candlewick Biographies: How the Martinez Brothers Made It from the Dominican Republic All the Way to the Major Leagues” by Matt Tavares https://matttavares.com/growinguppedro.html

2. "Goodnight Baseball" by Michael Dahl Illustrated by Christina Forshay Capstone Young Readers, 2013 Link: https://www.capstonepub.com/library/products/goodnight-baseball-1/

3. "Baseball Is..." by Louise Borden Illustrated by Raúl Colón Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2009 Link: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Baseball-Is/Louise-Borden/9781416955023

   4. "Pete the Cat: Play Ball!" by James Dean HarperCollins, 2013 Link: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/pete-the-cat-play-ball-james-dean

   5. Waiting for Pumpsie By Barry Wittenstein, London Ladd (Illustrations) https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/30419194