Enabling Environments: Tried and Tested - On the ball

Ball games encourage children to play, interact and socialise. They are important for a child's physical development, refining both fine and gross motor skills as they pick up and throw or catch the ball. They also help with balance and overall mobility, and they encourage children to share and take turns.

MINI SPORTS DISKS

DIRECT EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

AGE: 3+

PRICE: £19.99

CONTACT: 0870 1620042, www.des-uk-shop.com

This pack includes two 30cm disks with foam rims and mesh centres and a small rubber-string ball.

Tested by Carrie Bennett, childminder, Hampshire

'The children had great fun exploring this product and were impressed with its versatility. All three elements are tactile and colourful. The bounce from the discs is deceptively high. All the children were able to join in - even the two-year-old - enabling children with different abilities to play together. At first they used the discs like tennis rackets. The older ones competed to discover who would gain the greatest bounce from the discs. The younger children played together, batting the ball to one another, and the older ones then joined in to play 'Piggy-in-the-middle'. We then played 'catch'. Not being a ball in the traditional sense, it was much easier for them to handle. Within the setting one child has dyspraxia. The sides were easy to grip and the child was engaged in bi-lateral movement, balance and hand-eye control without recognising it.