Wiffle Ball Home Run Derby

A wiffle ball set — plastic bat and perforated plastic balls

Cones or markers for the home run fence line

Mark home plate with a cone and set a "fence" line about 40-50 feet away. Any ball that flies past the fence on the fly is a home run. You can adjust the distance based on the batter's age and strength.

The pitcher stands about 15 feet from home plate. Underhand pitching is easier to hit; overhand is more realistic.

The batter gets 10 pitches per round. The goal: hit as many home runs as possible.

Keep track: home runs (past the fence on the fly), base hits (in play but short of the fence), and misses (swings and misses or foul balls).

After 10 pitches, the batter becomes the pitcher and the pitcher bats. Rotate until everyone has batted.

That's one round. Play 3 rounds total. The player with the most cumulative home runs wins the derby.

For the championship round, give the top 2 batters 5 pitches each in a sudden-death face-off.

Add fun variations: bat with your non-dominant hand for bonus points, or hit from a tee for guaranteed contact.

Wiffle balls are the safest batting practice option. They're light, they don't travel far enough to break windows (usually), and getting hit by a pitch doesn't hurt.

The wiffle ball's holes make it curve unpredictably, which is part of the challenge and the fun. A well-thrown wiffle ball is genuinely hard to hit.

Coach your child to watch the ball all the way to the bat. Most missed swings happen because the batter looks away at the last second.

Swing level. Uppercuts hit pop flies. Level swings hit line drives that go farther and clear the fence more often.

Home run derbies are a perfect backyard activity for mixed ages. Adjust the fence distance for different batters — closer for younger kids, farther for older ones.