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🎈 Balloon Hover Hockey

  • Oct 27, 2025
  • 2 min read

Updated: Oct 28, 2025

🌸 Overview


Ready, set, hover! 💨


In Balloon Hover Hockey, kids burn energy, practice coordination, and learn teamwork, all while laughing their way through a game that’s equal parts movement and mindfulness.


This fun indoor (or outdoor!) activity helps children develop motor control, turn-taking, and focus; making it ideal for both sensory seekers who need movement and those who benefit from calm, structured play.


Children playing balloon hockey indoors using paper plates while cats watch playfully — hands-on movement and teamwork activity.

🌿 What You’ll Explore

  • Physical Development: Coordination, balance, and body awareness.

  • Social & Emotional: Teamwork, patience, and regulation through play.

  • Science: Air resistance and gentle force.

  • Maths: Counting goals, measuring distance, estimating speed.


(Learning outcomes and observation checklist available in the printable pack.)


🪴 What You’ll Need

  • Balloons (spares are a must!)

  • Paper plates or paddles (plastic lids work too!)

  • Tape for marking a “goal” area

  • Optional: soft ball, timer, or cones


Flat-lay of homemade balloon hover hockey materials on a wooden table — balloons, paper plates, tape, scissors, and cardboard tubes with a cat paw reaching into the frame.

✨ Quick How-To

1️⃣ Blow up your balloon(s).

2️⃣ Mark your play space - tape two goals on opposite sides.

3️⃣ Use paper plates to “bat” the balloon gently back and forth.

4️⃣ Keep the balloon off the ground as long as possible - count passes or score points for goals!


💡 Parent Tip: Try calling out “Freeze!” mid-game — great for focus and self-regulation practice.


Close-up of child hitting a balloon mid-air with a paper-plate paddle during a lively indoor game as a cat watches curiously from the floor.


💚 Adapt for Every Age and Ability


  • For younger or SEN learners, slow the pace and use verbal or visual “turn” cards.

  • Play seated or on knees to reduce intensity.

  • Use a larger space for sensory seekers who need big movement.

  • Try it outdoors on a calm day for extra sensory feedback.


(Printable regulation cue cards and Now/Next schedule included in the pack.)


SEN-friendly balloon play setup with Now/Next visual supports.

🎨 Extension Ideas


  • Air Power Challenge: Try blowing the balloon across the floor instead of batting it - who can move it furthest with one breath?

  • Design Your Paddles: Decorate paper plates with team names or colours.

  • Science Spark: Compare a balloon’s movement to a paper ball - which moves smoother?

  • Score Keeper: Older children can record results and graph them for maths integration.


Children measuring balloon travel distance using a ruler and notebook while parent records results; tabby cat swats gently at a balloon.

💾 Download the Full Activity Pack


The Balloon Hover Hockey Printable Pack includes:

✔️ Step-by-step visual guide

✔️ Team challenge score sheets

✔️ Regulation cue cards

✔️ SEN-friendly visual rules

✔️ Certificate of participation

✔️ Parent reflection & discussion guide

Calm, structured balloon hover hockey setup with Now/Next visual board, colour-coded paddles, and a grey ragdoll cat resting beside nearby plants.

🎥 See It in Action

Watch our balloon challenge and teamwork fun here:


🪶 Why We Love This


We love Balloon Hover Hockey because it turns movement into mindfulness. It’s playful, inclusive, and full of laughter - the perfect balance of calm and chaos.


Thanks for joining us for today’s experiment 💚


If you give it a go, we’d love to see! Tag @CuriousPawsLearning on Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, X, Pinterest or Facebook so we can celebrate your little scientist’s success together. 🐾

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