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Little Champs Sport Center provides for a unique learning opportunity where children can explore three different sports in one child sized play center. Spin the bead filled football, hit the baseball with the bat or put the balls in the hoop. Each option provides visual and auditory feedback to encourage further exploration of the activities and the development of problem solving and cause and effect skills.
Approx. Price: 21.00-40.00 Box Age Range: 0+ yr # of Pieces: 2-5 Washability: Surface Wipe Storability: Bulky Directions: Pictorial Play Locations: Indoor and Outdoor Adjustability: Sound Levels of Play: One Level Batteries: Yes – Not Included
Visually Stimulating
Provides Pretend Play Opportunities
Easy to Grasp/Hold
Familiar Objects/Pictures
Different Shapes and/or Colors
Open-ended
Can Be Used Independently or w/Others
Connects/Assembles Securely
Promotes Active Play
Hands-on Approach to Learning
Tactilely Stimulating
Auditorily Stimulating
High Contrasting Colors
Durable
Upright Position for Play
Clearly Written Instructions
Simple
Easy to Clean
Developmental processes promoted
Patience
Reaching/Arm Extension
Functional Finger Movement and Exploration
Social Interaction
Core Strengthening, Trunk Strength, Stability
Coordinated Movement
Imagination/Pretend Play
Problem Solving
Finger and Hand Control and Dexterity
Physical Range of Motion
Two-Handed Play – Midline Focus and Transferring
Eye-Hand Coordination
Hand and Finger Grasp
Fine Motor
Action Concepts e.g. In/Out, Push/Pull, On/Off, Go/Stop
There is no wrong way to play with this item. It provides open ended fun.
Children with developmental delays or cognitive impairments are encouraged by the rewarding sounds produced by the toy to continue to explore the basketball, baseball and football activities.
Auditory reinforcement helps children maintain attention.
Skills
Cause and effect actions are reinforced through play. The unit gives auditory and visual feedback after a child interacts with the 3-in-1 sports center. Children learn that their body movement (spinning the football, hitting the baseball or putting ball in hoop) has an effect on the toy and can produce a rewarding sound of cheering voices, ticking sounds or beads rumbling.
Eye-hand coordination is worked on as children hit the baseball with their hand or the bat, throw a basketball into the net or spin the football.
Motor planning skills are used throughout play as children cognitively process what has to happen and prepare their bodies to respond.
Children learn how to sequence steps to complete a task such as hitting the baseball with the bat or throwing a basketball into the net.
Action concepts such as in and out are reinforced through play.
Hand grasp is used and strengthened during play. Children who have cognitive delays often also have delays in motor development.
Problem solving skills emerge as children learn how to make the sound effects, how to shoot the basketballs and what to do when the balls roll away.
Coordinated movement is used throughout play as children play baseball, basketball and spin the football.
Memory and recall skills are promoted as children learn how each component works and remember when they return to play at a later time.
Number identification can be targeted. The “scoreboard” of the unit counts how many baskets a child gets in LED lights one to ten. Note: there is no auditory counting by the unit.
Counting skills are reinforced as children and caregivers count how many baskets are made, how many times the baseball is hit, how many balls there are, etc.
Play Ideas
Count with the scoreboard the number of baskets made by the child to encourage fundamental math skills.
Model the different sports actions and watch your child imitate the actions and begin the process of mastering a whole set of skills such as throwing, gripping the bat, swinging the bat, hitting the ball, spinning the football and counting.
Give the child a sequence of actions to perform.
Act as a sports commentator to provide added excitement and motivation, such as, “The Cubs are down by two, but Johnny’s up to bat. He swings! Line Drive! And Mom slides into home! The crowd goes wild!”
Count 1-2-3 and have child throw a ball into the basket. By counting first, listening skills and patience are incorporated into play.
Adaptation Ideas
If a child has mastered counting to 10, turn the sound component off and have them count their baskets by saying it out loud.
Use only one basketball rather than both so children can focus on throwing and catching and not be over-stimulated by too many accessories.
The action items are identifiable by touch. The characteristics of the items resemble the adult sized football, baseball and basketball.
The Little Champs Sports Center can be successfully played with or without the sound effects.
The auditory feedback given by the Sports Center gives a rewarding cheering or song that encourages children to continue to explore.
The Little Champs Sports Center is brightly colored.
Skills
Tactile exploration is encouraged. Children use their tactile sense as they mouth, touch and grab the different sports activities.
Children learn the affect their bodies have on the world as they spin, hit, push and throw the different items on the Little Champs Sports Center.
Cause and effect actions are reinforced through play. The unit gives auditory and visual feedback after a child interacts with the 3-in-1 sports center. Children learn that their body movement (spinning the football, hitting the baseball or putting ball in hoop) has an effect on the toy and can produce a rewarding sound of cheering voices, ticking sounds or beads rumbling.
Action concepts such as in and out are reinforced through play.
Hand transferring and midline play can be encouraged using one of the basketballs.
Play Ideas
Children learn through repetition. As children master the gross motor skills of lifting or throwing the ball in the hoop, caregivers can use this time as teachable moment to incorporate language skills into play. Say “In,” “Shoot” or “Score” each time the child makes a basket. This will help with word association and language development.
Act as a sports commentator to provide added excitement and motivation, such as, “The Cubs are down by two, but Johnny’s up to bat. He swings! Line Drive! And Mom slides into home! The crowd goes wild!”
Adaptation Ideas
To prevent over-stimulation to children with sound sensitivity, play with the unit off.
The Little Champs Sports Center is very sturdy and durable. This assists children who have unrefined movements play successfully.
This 3-in-1 activity center introduces fundamental motor skills in the form of three family favorites; basketball, football and baseball. Each activity promotes fine motor, gross motor, hand-eye coordination and muscle coordination.
Baseball is attached allowing a child to play repetitively without the risk of the ball rolling out of physical reach of a child.
Children can maintain an upright position for play.
Two of the three activities are attached. This helps children who have physical limitations to access continued play.
Skills
The two palm sized basketballs promote whole hand grasping and the texture gives children extra friction to support their efforts in grasping the balls.
Children practice gross motor skills and muscle coordination as they shoot the ball in the hoop, spin the football or hit the baseball with the bat.
The lightweight bat has a narrow handle with ridges for children to grasp and the large base of the bat allows for a large margin of error. Children with less control over their movements are given opportunities to be successful.
Movement such as weight shifting and balance are used to retrieve balls.
Hand transferring and midline play can be encouraged using one of the basketballs.
Bilateral coordination can be targeted as children hold and swing the bat with two hands or hold a basketball with one hand while placing another ball in the net.
Reaching and arm extension are used to play baseball and basketball and to spin the football.
Eye-hand coordination is worked on as children hit the baseball with their hand or the bat, throw a basketball into the net or spin the football.
Children strengthen their core muscles as they sit upright and manipulate the various features of this sports center.
Play Ideas
Encourage your child to explore all the different ways to make a basket. For example, using one hand, two hands, behind the back or rolling it down the arm into the hoop to encourage the use of different muscles in the body.
Have the child make baskets by sitting, kneeling and standing. Vary the distance and position the child is in to throw.
Sit by the attached spin-around baseball and using two hands cooperatively, spin the ball around and around. This promotes muscle development and coordination.
Adaptation Ideas
Use the baseball component without the bat. Allowing your child to use the baseball directly with his hands may help children explore and understand better than using a bat, which may be too disconnected.
Put self-adhesive Velcro on the bat and then have your child wear a winter knit glove or mitten. The fabric of the mitten will stick to the Velcro. This helps a child who may not have a strong grip to hold the bat and play successfully.
Items and actions can be labeled while playing with the Little Champs Sport Center (ball, shoot, score, spin, hit and bat).
Counting is encouraged while shooting balls in the basketball hoop. Count with the scoreboard as it keeps track of the number of shots made. Or turn off the lights and count on your own.
There is no wrong way to play with the Little Champs Sport Center. Children can play with their peers and take turns or they can play cooperatively together as they use their creativity to communicate a pretend play adventure.
Auditory reinforcement helps children maintain attention.
Skills
Language development can be encouraged by labeling familiar objects.
Playing with the Little Champs Sport Center cooperatively with peers, siblings or parents promotes dialogue about the widely known sports activities. This gives children an opportunity to learn new words and language.
Receptive language can be encouraged as a caregiver tells a child what action to perform, or gives the child a series of actions to do.
Visual tracking is reinforced as children roll or throw the basketball back and forth with another. Visual tracking is a pre-literacy skill
Problem solving skills emerge as children learn how to make the sound effects, how to shoot the basketballs and what to do when the balls roll away.
Color identification can be targeted by pointing to and labeling the different colors on the Little Champs Sports Center.
Counting skills are reinforced as children and caregivers count how many baskets are made, how many times the baseball is hit, how many balls there are, etc.
Play Ideas
Children learn through repetition. As children master the gross motor skills of lifting or throwing the ball in the hoop, caregivers can use this time as teachable moment to incorporate language skills into play. Say “In,” “Shoot” or “Score” each time the child makes a basket. This will help with word association and language development.
Point and label the different identifiable items (ball, hoop, football, baseball, bat, and scoreboard) on the Little Champs Sports Center. Use these labels often during play. Once those are mastered you can move on to color recognition.
Take turns throwing a ball into the basket and retrieving it.
Act as a sports commentator to provide added excitement and motivation, such as, “The Cubs are down by two, but Johnny’s up to bat. He swings! Line Drive! And Mom slides into home! The crowd goes wild!”
Adaptation Ideas
To prevent over-stimulation to children with sound sensitivity, play with the unit off.
Use only one basketball rather than both so children can focus on throwing and catching and not be over-stimulated by too many accessories.
