# What to do if a child isn't showing catching skills yet

Canonical: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/as-a-caregiver-what-should-i-do-if-a-child-in-my-care-is-not-yet-showing-catching-skills
Publisher: Pinnacle Blooms Network / Bharath Healthcare Laboratories Private Limited

Catching is an advanced motor skill that develops later than throwing or rolling — most children trap a large ball against their chest before catching with their hands, often into the preschool years. A caregiver should keep play easy and fun with big, soft, slow balls, and watch the wider picture of movement, vision and coordination. This is not a diagnosis; arrange a calm developmental check if catching difficulty travels with broad clumsiness or other motor, vision or coordination delays.

*Catching a ball is a beautiful blend of watching, timing and reaching — and it blooms a little later than throwing or rolling, so a child who isn't catching yet is very often right on their own gentle path.*

## In short
Catching is a more advanced motor skill that develops gradually — most children first trap a large ball against their chest before they ever catch with their hands, and this can take well into the preschool years. If a child in your care isn't catching yet, the most helpful thing you can do is **keep playing, make it easy and fun, and watch the whole picture** of their movement, vision and coordination. This isn't a diagnosis — it's simply a cue to support practice and, if other skills lag too, to arrange a calm developmental check.

## What to watch
Catching builds on earlier steps. Look gently at where the child is in the sequence:

- **Tracks a moving object** — do their eyes follow a slowly rolled or tossed ball?
- **Traps before catching** — can they hug a large, soft ball against their body? This comes well before catching with hands.
- **Brings hands together** — do they reach and ready their arms when a ball comes near?
- **The wider picture** — are running, jumping, throwing and balance coming along, or is movement broadly behind?

Gentle flags worth a clinician's eye: very little interest in or response to moving objects, marked clumsiness across many activities, or catching difficulty alongside delays in other motor, vision or coordination skills.

## The science
Catching needs visual tracking, anticipation, hand-eye coordination and quick postural control to all work together — which is why it matures later than simpler skills. Big, soft, slow balls and short, playful turns let a child practise each ingredient successfully. Most children grow this with everyday play; a few benefit from a closer look.

## The Pinnacle way
A clinical [AbilityScore®](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated) and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care — never from an online checklist. Our team looks at how [catching skills](/catching-skills) fit within a child's whole movement story, and our [occupational therapy](/occupational-therapy) clinicians can build coordination through joyful, structured play.

## Trusted sources
CDC "Learn the Signs, Act Early" milestones on ball play and motor development; American Academy of Pediatrics (healthychildren.org) guidance on gross-motor growth in early childhood; WHO ICF framework (d4, mobility) for movement-related activities.

**Next step —** Keep the games going and trust what you notice. [Find a Pinnacle centre](/centres) for a warm, clear review of the child's movement milestones if catching lags alongside other skills.

This is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

## Sources
- CDC: Learn the Signs, Act Early milestones: https://www.cdc.gov/child-development
- AAP HealthyChildren: motor development: https://www.healthychildren.org
- WHO ICF framework (d4 mobility): https://icd.who.int

## Connected topics and perspectives
- Skills: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/skills
- Caregiver: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/stakeholder/caregiver
- Motor: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/domain/motor
- Concern: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/intent/concern
- Screen: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/lifecycle/screen
- Occupational Therapy: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/route/occupational-therapy
- Early Clarity: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/empowerment/early_clarity

## Related question paths

### Recognise signs & concerns
- What to do if a child isn't catching a ball yet: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/as-a-caregiver-what-should-i-do-if-a-child-in-my-care-is-not-yet-showing-ball-catching
- What does it mean if my child is not yet showing catching skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-does-it-mean-if-my-child-is-not-yet-showing-catching-skills
- Is It Normal That My Child Is Not Yet Showing Catching Skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/is-it-normal-that-my-child-is-not-yet-showing-catching-skills
- What to observe about a child's catching skills on a home visit: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/during-a-home-visit-what-should-a-frontline-worker-observe-about-a-child-learning-to-catching-skills
- What signs suggest my child may need support with catching skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-signs-suggest-my-child-may-need-support-with-catching-skills
- What signs suggest my child may need support with ball catching?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-signs-suggest-my-child-may-need-support-with-ball-catching
- At what age should a child develop catching skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/at-what-age-should-a-child-catching-skills
- Catching Skills: Milestones for Teachers: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/by-what-age-is-a-child-usually-expected-to-catching-skills-and-what-should-a-teacher-expect-in-class
- Could difficulty catching be a sign of developmental delay?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/could-difficulty-with-catching-skills-be-a-sign-of-a-developmental-delay
- Catching Skills Delay: When Should a Frontline Worker Escalate?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/if-a-child-cannot-catching-skills-at-the-expected-age-when-should-a-frontline-health-worker-escalate
- Is difficulty learning to catch a developmental red flag?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/is-difficulty-learning-to-catching-skills-a-clinical-red-flag-that-warrants-a-developmental-referral
- When do children usually develop catching skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/when-do-children-usually-catching-skills

### Understand assessment
- How can a clinician assess and track a child's progress in catching skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-a-clinician-assess-and-track-a-child-s-progress-in-learning-to-catching-skills
- Amber Zone for Catching Skills Explained: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-is-in-the-amber-zone-for-catching-skills-what-does-that-mean
- What 'green zone' for catching skills means: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-is-in-the-green-zone-for-catching-skills-what-does-that-mean
- What a red zone for catching skills means: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-is-in-the-red-zone-for-catching-skills-what-does-that-mean

### Explore therapy & support
- Therapy Techniques to Develop Catching Skills: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/as-a-therapist-what-techniques-help-a-child-develop-the-ability-to-catching-skills
- How can a teacher support a child working on catching skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-a-teacher-support-a-child-working-on-catching-skills
- How can a teacher support a student still learning catching skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-a-teacher-support-a-student-who-is-still-learning-to-catching-skills
- How should a therapist prioritise a child in the amber zone for catching skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-should-a-therapist-prioritise-a-child-who-is-in-the-amber-zone-for-catching-skills
- How should a therapist prioritise a child in the green zone for catching skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-should-a-therapist-prioritise-a-child-who-is-in-the-green-zone-for-catching-skills
- How should a therapist prioritise a child in the red zone for catching skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-should-a-therapist-prioritise-a-child-who-is-in-the-red-zone-for-catching-skills
- Amber Zone for Catching Skills — What To Do Next: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-is-in-the-amber-zone-for-catching-skills-what-should-we-do-next
- Green zone for catching skills — what to do next: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-is-in-the-green-zone-for-catching-skills-what-should-we-do-next
- Red zone for catching skills — what to do next: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-is-in-the-red-zone-for-catching-skills-what-should-we-do-next
- Therapy for Catching Skills in Children: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-therapy-helps-a-child-learn-to-catching-skills

### At home & in everyday life
- Helping Your Child Practise Catching Skills at Home: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/as-a-caregiver-how-can-i-gently-help-a-child-practise-learning-to-catching-skills-during-everyday-routines
- How can I help my child learn catching skills at home?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-help-my-child-with-learn-to-catching-skills-at-home
- What is one Everyday Therapy activity to help my child with catching skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-is-one-everyday-therapy-activity-to-help-my-child-with-catching-skills