Last Updated on 01/06/2021 by Mandy
It’s been a long day, and all you want to do is relax. You’re in the middle of dinner when your son or daughter suddenly jumps up from their chair and runs out the door with an empty water bottle in hand. They slam it against the ground, flip it into the air, catch it on their head – they’ve found something new that seems to be really fun! What are they doing? They’re flipping out with Bottle Flipping!
Many people have seen impressive videos of skilled adults balancing bottles vertically on their noses before catching them on the bottom using only one hand. These clips are what has sparked the new craze of flipping water bottles at home, during recess and after school.
The game is simple: a person must flip their bottle so it lands upright on its base without falling over or spinning around too many times before landing. It sounds easy but can be quite challenging!
Kids love playing this game because they don’t have to rely on others to catch for them if they miss – the bottle will always land right side up no matter where you drop it. Bottle flipping offers hours of fun that strengthens coordination as well as increases hand-eye coordination skills through repetition. And while some adults might think tossing an empty water bottle isn’t worth their time, experts say there’s more to it.
Bottle flipping has been around since ancient times, but it’s gone viral thanks to a YouTube video of a man from St. Louis named John D’Angelo who can flip water bottles into bowls by the dozen without breaking one.
His trick? He holds two cups vertically in front of him while tossing an empty plastic bottle at them – the shape of those cups helps guide his hand so he always flips the bottle right-side up.
Even though there are countless videos on how to do this all over YouTube (some even show off their skills with other objects like wine glasses or pool noodles) children have already picked up on this skill too, and they want to show their friends too.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, bottle flipping is a good way for children to work on their hand-eye coordination and it also builds up arm muscles because they have to be strong enough for those flips! School like it, as children find they are concentrate longer in class and are exhibiting more patience.
Plus all that practice helps them build confidence too – so if you see your child inching closer and closer to the kitchen counter with each flip, don’t worry; he’s becoming more skilful at this activity while practising his risk management skills.
He’ll just need some help when it comes time for washing dishes later on 🙂