Playing outside provides children with a sense of freedom and the stimulation only a natural environment can provide. But there’s one play product that totally thrives outdoors—balls.
Playing with balls offers boundless opportunities for kids to learn the laws of nature and motion like gravity, trajectory, force and velocity. Children experience so much from engaging in ball games by rolling, bouncing, aiming, throwing, catching, hitting, blocking and balancing these little spheres of fun. Here’s a few or our favorites that can change any backyard, driveway or patio into a ballpark, bowling alley or golf course.
Clearly Sports Bowling, part of the Little Tikes Clearly Sports Collection builds eye-hand coordination, visual tracking skills and strengthens grasp and release abilities. Small balls inside clear pins make great reinforcing sounds when knocked over signaling, it’s a strike!
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Waboba Ball
Clearly Sports Baseball has an extra wide barrel that increases the hitting area and success rate for a young rookie. The twisting and rotating needed to hit the ball helps lengthen and strengthen torso muscles. Colored ball (smartly stored in the clear plastic bat) are brightly colored and easy to spot.
Clearly Sports Golf helps kids refine key fine and gross motor skills. Again the golf balls store nicely in the golf club. Plus fetching the balls after hitting is a great way to encourage more exercise.
Waboba Balls by Waboba, Inc. takes to the water where these babies can bounce and float. Made to play in knee high to waist high water, kids get the added resistance the water provides when moving around to retrieve and toss. The weightlessness of the water can also provide more independence for children with physical disabilities.
Let your kids have a ball this summer while learning new skills, getting fit and enjoying the great outdoors.
For information on Little Tikes products go to www.littletikes.com [2].
Reviewed by Ellen Metrick.
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FunBites
Instantly cut food into bite-sized fun shapes that entice even the pickiest eaters to try cheese, pizza, tofu, fish, sandwiches, burgers and more!
Funbites® Cube It! and Luv It! include cutter with curved blades that quickly cut food, and a matching popper that instantly pops out the shapes so hands stay clean and food is not handled. Made in USA and BPA free. Age 3+
www.funbites.com [4]
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Self-Calming Cards
Pick a card, any card, and discover how to soothe your child and yourself in challenging situations, and recover from emotional upset. The 24 illustrated cards model self-calming strategies with six groups of tools: physical, auditory, visual, creative, self-nurturing and humorous. In addition, 12 activity cards provide games, in English and Spanish, to practice how to get along better, make transitions, and more. Age 2+
Price: $12.99
Buy it at Amazon.com [6]
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Heavy Sleeper
Zip into the calming weight of our sleeping bag, and wake up refreshed and rested. Designed for kids with sensory integration needs, ADHD, and on the autism spectrum. Features evenly distributed weights with mesh fabric that breathes for maximum comfort, providing the security and sensation of a hug. Cozy fleece lines the interior bottom. Unzip all the way and the sleeping bag turns into a traditional weighted blanket. Perfect for home, rest time or sleepovers. Choice of 45” x 60” inches (8 lbs) with deep sea graphics (WR4257). Machine wash in cold water. Adult supervision required at all times. Not for use with small children. Never place in crib with an infant. Age 3+ to Teen.
Price: Starting at $115.49
What’s “APP”ening? Helpful Apps for Children with Special Needs
[9]WH Question Cards-Pro: Who, What, When, Where, Why by Super Duper Publications: This educational app teaches children how to correctly ask and answer WHO-WHAT-WHEN-WHERE-WHY questions. It has four entertaining, learning games for each WH set of cards and includes enhanced data tracking so parents and educators can keep track of child’s progress. Kids will love the decoder option that they can drag over the multiple choice answers.
Price: $11.99
Available for iOS [10]
Read Full BridgingApps Review [11]
Do you have a product you would like to share with our readers? Please fill our form describing your product. We are happy to review your product. Visit https://www.parentingspecialneeds.org/submit/product/ [12] for the form.
Read More Products You Can Use [13]
Helpful Articles
- Roll the Dice: It’s Game Time for All Abilities [14]
- 10 Board Games for a Great Special Needs Game Night [15]
- Got Pumpkin Plates? How to Teach Social Distancing Using Pumpkin Plates [16]
- Think Camp Yes, You Can Send Your Child to Camp [17]
- Let’s Go Turkey Bowling [18]
- Hula Hoop Time [19]
- Indoor Golf [20]
- 5 Great Opportunities for Outdoor Activity [21]
This post originally appeared on our May/June 2013 Magazine [22]