Special Olympics Young Athletes Activity Guide
Special Olympics Young AthletesActivityGuide1Special OlympicsYoung Athletes 1
Table of ContentsSpecial Olympics Young Athletes About Special Olympics Young Athletes Getting Started Using the Young Athletes Activity Guide Young Athletes EquipmentYoung Athletes Activities Foundational Skills Walking and Running Balance and Jumping Trapping and Catching Throwing Striking Kicking Advanced Sports SkillsYoung Athletes in SchoolsYoung Athletes in CommunitiesYoung Athletes in the HomeAdditional Resources223
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Special Olympics Young AthletesSpecial Olympics Young AthletesSpecial Olympics Young AthletesSpecial Olympics Young Athletes is a sport and play program for childrenwith and without intellectual disabilities (ID), ages 2 to 7 years old. YoungAthletes introduces basic sport skills, like running, kicking and throwing.Young Athletes offers families, teachers, caregivers and people from thecommunity the chance to share the joy of sports with all children.Children of all abilities take part, and they all benefit.Children learn how to play with others and develop important skills forlearning. Children also learn to share, take turns and follow directions.These skills help children in family, community and school activities.Young Athletes is a fun way for children to get fit. It is important toteach children healthy habits while they are young. This can set the stagefor a life of physical activity, friendships and learning.Young Athletes is easy to do and fun for all. It can be done at home, inschools or in the community using the Young Athletes Activity Guide andbasic equipment.Through Young Athletes, all children, their families and people in thecommunity can be a part of an inclusive team.“When my baby was born and I found outthat he had an intellectual disability, myworld fell apart. At Young Athletes, I seehim move about, smiling, mixing freely withothers and not holding on to the tail end ofmy skirt. It makes me cry tears of happinessand restores my hope that he can beindependent one day. Now I dare to dreamand plan to play baseball with my son whenhe grows up.”- Misae, JapanYoung Athletes welcomes children and their families into the worldof Special Olympics. Goals for the program include: Let children with and without intellectual disabilities play together tolearn about and understand each other; Support social inclusion and inclusive play in schools, communitiesand homes; Provide children with activities and games that meet their skill andability levels; Share how Special Olympics can support families; Show that all children should be valued for their talents and abilities; Promote fitness and teach children about staying active, eating ahealthy diet and drinking water.Everyone benefits from Special Olympics Young Athletes. Motor skills. Children with ID who took part in an eight-week YoungAthletes curriculum saw seven month’s development in motor skills.This is compared to a three-month gain in motor skills for childrenwho did not participate. Social, emotional and learning skills. Parents and teachers ofchildren who took part in the Young Athletes curriculum said thechildren learned skills that they will use in pre-primary school. Thechildren were more enthusiastic and confident. They also playedbetter with other children.1 Expectations. Family members say that Young Athletes raised theirhopes for their child’s future. Sport readiness. Young Athletes helps children develop importantmovement and sport skills. These skills get them ready to take part insports when they are older. Acceptance. Inclusive play has a benefit for children without ID aswell. It helps them to better understand and accept others.1 Favazza, P. C., Siperstein, G. N., Zeisel, S., Odom, S. L., & Moskowitz, A. L. (2011). Young Athletesintervention: Impact of motor development. Washington, DC: Special Olympics, Inc.5
Special Olympics Young AthletesSpecial Olympics Young AthletesGetting StartedUsing the Young Athletes Activity GuideThe Activity Guide has all the information to run Young Athletes. It hasfour sections:1. Introduction2. Young Athletes Activities3. Resources for Implementers4. Additional ResourcesThe Young Athletes Activity Guide has games and activities that helpchildren learn movements they will use in sports and daily life.Be sure to read the Introduction and Activities sections. These are for allteachers, coaches and family members. It is also important to think aboutwhere activities will take place – in a school, community or home – andreview the related section. Then review the activities. Make sure to havethe equipment or materials that are needed before starting.Three Models for Special Olympics Young AthletesSCHOOL 6COMMUNITYHOMESchool (Page 63): Led by educators in a school setting. Activitiestake place during the school day. Activities are done at least once aweek, but three times a week is best. It can be part of pre-primary orprimary school lessons.Community (Page 73): Led by Young Athletes coaches andvolunteers. It gives parents, siblings and friends a chance to gettogether. Activities can be done in a sport club, recreation center orother community facility. Activities take place at least one time perweek, with families doing at-home play at least twice a week.Home (Page 81): Parents, siblings and friends play together at home.The Activity Guide is used for tips and suggestions. Family activitiestake place at least three times per week in the home. The activitiescan be one-on-one or in small groups.There are eight skill areas in the Activity Guide. Each skill area includesactivities that can be done with one child or a group of children. There aretips in the Activity Guide on how to adapt the activities to match the skillsor needs of each child.Within each skill area, activities are listed by ease and difficulty. Theactivities are in order of normal development, from basic skills to morecomplex skills. Match each activity to the ability of the child. As a childgets more comfortable with a skill, move on to a more difficult activity.For example, in Trapping and Catching, the first suggested activity isRolling and Trapping. In the activity, children are seated on the floor. Thisallows children to work on hand-eye coordination with a moving object.Because they are seated, they do not have to worry about strength,balance or fear.The third activity, Bubble Catch, builds on the basic skills needed to catcha ball. Bubbles float slowly so children can easily follow the bubbles asthey fall. They can clap or catch a bubble in their hands. In this activity,they do not worry about using their arms or bodies to catch, like in lateractivities.Additional resources and videos to supportYoung Athletes can be found on theYoung Athletes web page.resources.specialolympics.org/YoungAthletes7
Special Olympics Young AthletesYoung Athletes sessions do not need to follow the order listed in theActivity Guide. It may be best to focus on one skill area for one or moresessions or do basic activities from multiple skill areas. For example: School: Teachers may want to run Young Athletes sessions withthe most basic skills from all skill areas. As children progress in thebasic skills, teachers can advance to skills that are more difficult overseveral sessions.Community: A program held at a basketball sport club may runYoung Athletes sessions that include one activity from FoundationalSkills, one from Running and Walking, and all the Throwing activities.Children with different skill levels can all take part and grow in theway that works best for them.Home: Parents may want to pick activities that their children enjoythe most or ones that allow siblings and friends to participate.It is key to adapt to the needs of individual children to ensure YoungAthletes has the greatest impact on all children.Key TerminologyThere are many helpful tips and suggestions in the ActivityGuide to support the needs of each child. 8Group Play – Activity variations that get children playingtogether and support inclusion.Healthy Play – Variation to the activity that teacheschildren about nutrition and fitness.Optional Activity – Additional activity that usesequipment not found in the primary equipment list.Tips for Observation – Ideas to support adults, coachesor volunteers working with or leading Young Athletes.9
Special Olympics Young AthletesYoung Athletes EquipmentYoung Athletes activities use equipment to help children focus on eachskill. Equipment can be substituted for materials that can be foundaround the house.EquipmentSuggested SubstitutionsBalance BeamTapeRopeSmall Foam BallTennis ballAny small ballBeanbagsSmall, soft toys or figuresBags filled with rice, sand or beansNatural items, like flowers or leavesSport ConesBoxesPlastic soda bottles filled with sandLarge Plastic BlocksSpecial Olympics Young AthletesEquipmentSuggested SubstitutionsFloor MarkersStickers or tapeCarpet squaresChalk-drawn shapesHoopsHula hoopsBicycle tubesOld tiresScarfDish towelSmall piece of clothSlow Motion BallBeach ballAny lightweight ballBalloonFoam or wood blocksBricksAdditional equipment may be used to run Young Athletes:10Plastic DowelsStickPaper towel roll PaddleShort stick Junior sized sports equipment:basketball, plastic golf club,floorball stick, tennis racket,football (soccer ball), plastic batand baseball tee.Playground ballRope Stacking cupsAgility ladderTunnelsParachutesFloor markers, beanbags,and balls with food imagesPlay food items11
Foundational SkillsFoundational skills help children become awareof themselves and their relationship to theirsurroundings. They also support basic health andphysical fitness.Body awareness, strength, flexibility, coordinationand endurance are important for motor and socialskills. Foundational skills promote development inall of these areas, which are essential for mobility athome and in school and the community.****Activities in thissection include:Scarf GamesChildren’s SongsI SpyObstacle CourseMusical MarkersTunnels and BridgesAnimal GamesParachute GamesMagic Carpet Ride1212Special OlympicsYoung Athletes 13
Foundational SkillsFoundational SkillsScarf GamesI SpyEncourage children to follow the movement of the scarf with their head and eyes.Encourage children to look around and notice different items in the space. AskDrop the scarf and encourage children to “catch” the scarf with their hand, head,children to look for certain items and encourage them to run, walk or crawl tofoot or other body part.those items.Group Play: Children can play together by tossingProgress by asking children to identify colors, shapes or healthy food items.scarves to one another, calling out numbers,Children can work in pairs to promote social skills.colors or names of animals with every toss.EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Floor markers, beanbagsFor a greater challenge, encourage children tolisten carefully for what to do with the scarf. Forexample, “If you have a green scarf, pass it to theperson next to you” or “pass the scarf behind yourback to the person next to you.”Healthy Play: Have children try to name differentfruits, vegetables or other healthy foods eachtime they toss the scarf.EQUIPMENT NEEDED: ScarfChildren’s SongsObstacle CourseSet up a basic obstacle coursewith any equipment you have,for example, hoops, beams,chairs or benches. Introducevariousconceptsasthechildren complete the course,including: On and off Over and under Fast and slowEncourage children to sing songs that associate words with actions and bodyawareness, such as “Wheels on the Bus” or other familiar action songs.EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Cones, floor markers, hoops, dowels, beamsA song such as “If You’re Happy and You Know It” can be used to encouragechildren to perform different activities like clapping, rubbing the belly, tappingthe head and more. Have fun and ask children for ideas about what to do and howto move!Healthy Play: Adapt locally popular songs to teach healthy habits, while alsobuilding body awareness. See the “Additional Resources” section for healthy lyricsto “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”14Tips for ObservationMake note of children’s abilityto remember lyrics, activities,body parts or other importantconcepts. Reinforce those areasin other activities or self-helpskills.15
Foundational SkillsFoundational SkillsMusical MarkersAnimal GamesWhile music is playing, ask children to run, walk backwards, crawl or twist. WhenAsk children to pretend that they are different animals by moving their bodiesthe music stops, have children find a floor marker to stand on (sharing markers isin different ways. Picture books can help children see the animals and theirallowed). Remove markers until there is only one large hoop in the center that allmovements.the children can share. Bear Crawl: Have children bend downHealthy Play: When using floor markers, consider having floor markers thatwith their hands and feet on the ground.are shaped like healthy foods (like fruits and vegetables), printing out pictures,Encourage them to crawl or walk like aor associating various colors with fruits and vegetables. In the activity, when thebear. Make sure the knees do not touchmusic stops, ask children to stand on the fruits or vegetables to reinforce makingthe floor. Growl for fun!healthy decisions with food.EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Hoop, floor markers Crab Walk: Have children sit on the floor with feet flat on the floor and kneesbent. Hands are flat on the floor, slightly behind the body. Ask them to lifttheir hips off the floor and walk their hands and feet backwards. Then trycrawling in different directions.Tunnels and BridgesAdults and children make tunnels bytouching the ground with their feetand hands, sending their hips intothe air. Other children crawl through Crabs and Fishes: Children pretendto be the Crab (see Crab Walk) anda ball is the Fish. The coach beginsthe tunnels.the game by rolling the ball underAdults and children make bridges byswimming through a sea of crabs. Thegetting down onto hands and knees.Other children try to climb over thechildren’s bottoms so that the fish isball can be pushed or kicked by thechildren to keep the game going.bridges.1617
Foundational Skills“My future dreams arefor children to one dayparticipate and be aSpecial Olympics athleteand star.”Optional ActivitiesParachute GamesChildren and adults hold the edgesof a parachute. Working together tomove the parachute up and down,have an adult throw a ball or beanbagon top. The children try to keep the- Tracy, Southern Californiaparachute moving, while keeping theball or beanbag from falling off.Group Play: Parachute games area great way to end sessions with agroup of children. Have children makebig waves with the parachute by slowly moving it up and down. Then have childrenlet go of the parachute when their hands are above their head. Have children runto the center while a volunteer collects the parachute as it falls over the children.EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Parachute (option: flat sheet), ballMagic Carpet RideThe child sits on a blanket, holding theedges.An adult grasps the other end of the blanketand pulls it so that the child slides along thefloor. The adult can pull the blanket fasteras the child becomes comfortable.Safety is important with this activity.Demonstrate the activity and ensure thechild is able to hold on tight to the blanketto prevent them from falling off.EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Blanket (option: sheet)1819
Walking and RunningWalking and running are skills that allow childrento explore their environment. Both skills allowchildren to participate in a variety of recreationalactivities, sport games and learning experiences.Activities inthis sectioninclude:Follow the LeaderWalk TallSide SteppingRun and CarryHidden TreasureSticky ArmsHeavy Feet, Light FeetObstacle CourseFire DrillFuture Skaters20Special OlympicsYoung Athletes 21
Walking and RunningWalking and RunningFollow the LeaderRun and CarryEncourage children to “follow the leader” as you walk in different ways (like slow,Encourage children to run a distance,fast or march) and move different parts of your body (like arms up or arms out).pick up an object from the ground andThen encourage children to take turns as the leader.run back to the starting point. Repeatseveral times for endurance. WhenGroup Play: Set up a path using hoops, cones, floor markers or other availableplaying with two or more children, theyequipment and encourage children to follow the path.can pass the object to each other afterrunning a distance. With large numbersof children, try relay teams and races.Walk TallGroup Play: Have an adult stand in the middle of the space. Have children run byHave children walk from one floor marker tothe adult, trying to get beanbags from one side to the other. The adult can onlyanother, standing tall with beanbags on theirmove along a straight line. If the adult tags a child, the child must “freeze”. Theheads. Once children can do this without thechild stays frozen until another child tags them. Then both children can run tobeanbag falling, have them jog or run with thedrop off beanbags on the opposite side.same tall posture.Healthy Play: Use real, plastic or cloth foods as objects in the activity. Ask childrenPlacing a beanbag on the child’s head whileto pick up the object and run with it to a set of baskets labelled “healthy” orwalking or running encourages good posture“unhealthy”. Ask children to categorize the food item. Use the activity to discussand balance.what makes the food item healthy or unhealthy.EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Beanbags, floor markers (option: cones)EQUIPMENT NEEDED: BeanbagsSide SteppingEncourage children to face forward and stepto the right or left onto a variety of floormarkers.Beanbags can be placed on some markers.Children can pick up the beanbags and moveto different markers as they side step fromone floor marker to the next.Hidden TreasureSet up cones throughout the space. Under a few of the cones, hide a beanbagtreasure.Ask children one at a time to walk or run (forward, backward or sideways) toa cone and see if there is a hidden treasure. If a treasure is found, it should beplaced in the “treasure chest” box. If no treasure is found, the child should run tothe end of the line. If all of the items or treasures are found before the last childhas gone, the entire group wins.EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Cones (option: stacking cups), beanbags, boxEQUIPMENT NEEDED: Floor markers, beanbags (option: soft toys)2223
Walking and RunningWalking and RunningSticky ArmsFire DrillCreate a zigzag course with cones.Ask all but one child to stand in a line. While the children are passing a ball fromHave children run through the courseone end of the line to the other, the one remaining child runs around the line. Thewith their arms “glued” to their sides.child must try to get back to the start before the ball reaches the end. If the childThen have children run the course withis unsuccessful, give the child another try and make the passing more difficult bytheir elbows bent and arms swinging.passing behind the back or between the legs.Time the children and talk aboutwhich way was easier and faster.Children should take turns running around the line.EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Cones(option: floor markers, tape or rope)EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Ball (option: beanbag)Heavy Feet, Light FeetTips for ObservationHave children run from one end of theroom to another with “heavy feet”, or lotsof stomping noises. Then have childrenrun back with “light feet”, running on theirtoes and being as quiet as possible.Encourage children to lookin the direction they arewalking or running and tokeep their hips and feetfacing forward.EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Floor markersOptional ActivityFuture SkatersEncourage children to move around aroom without lifting their feet. Havethem wear skates made from paperplates.Skating can be done with music or addedObstacle CourseSet up cones, floor markers, hoops and other equipment, and e
Young Athletes is a fun way for children to get fit. It is important to teach children healthy habits while they are young. This can set the stage for a life of physical activity, friendships and learning. Young Athletes is easy to do and fun for all. It can be done at home, in schools or in the community using the Young Athletes Activity Guide and
I am physically able to take part in Special Olympics activities. 2. Likeness Release. I give permission to Special Olympics to use my photo, video, name, voice, and words to promote Special Olympics and raise funds for Special Olympics. For this form, "Special Olympics" means all Special Olympics organizations. 3. Risk of Concussion and .
Coaching Special Olympics Athletes prepares Special Olympics coaches to use their sport-specific knowledge in coaching athletes with intellectual disabilities. This course meets the Special Olympics standards and competencies for coach certification. For veteran Special Olympics coache
Special Olympics Young Children Activity Guide and Special Olympics Young Athletes Curriculum Special Olympics Young Athletes is a sport and play program for children with and without intellectual disabilities (ID), ages 2 to 7 years old. Young Athletes introduces basic sport ski
The Young Athletes Nutrition Guide includes: Healthy nutrition guidelines for young athletes with an intellectual disability Interactive healthy eating activities for young athletes Easy and nutritious recipes Nutrition resources and references Working hand in hand, a healthy diet and physical activity are truly a winning .
Foundational Skills help teach health, fitness and awareness of self and surroundings. Act out words while saying them to help your child build connections. Young Athletes Activity Tips Young Athletes activities, found in the Activity Guide and on the Young Athletes Activity Cards, support 8 key skills areas.
Ideas for recruiting Special Olympics athletes: School: Special Education or Life Skills Department (try to connect with a lead Special Education teacher first) Community: Work with a local Special Olympics team (Special Olympics staff or representatives can help make a connection to these local teams)
The Official Special Olympics Sports Rules for Softball shall govern all Special Olympics competitions. As an international sports program, Special Olympics has created these rules based upon World Softball
Grade 2 collected 25 books. Grade 3 collected 15 books. Grade 4 collected 10 books. The school had a book drive to support the local shelter. Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4 collected books. Organize the book data into the pictograph above. 1. Who collected the most books? _ 2. What was the total amount of books collected? _ 3. Which grade .
