Special Olympics Young Athletes™
is a unique sport and play program for children with intellectual disabilities. The focus is on fun activities that are important to mental and
physical growth. Children ages 2 to 7 enjoy games and activities that develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Young Athletes is an early introduction to sports and to the world of Special Olympics. The children learn new things, play and have lots of fun. These building blocks result in notable improvements in a child’s motor skills, cognitive development, social skills, emotional development and communication skills.

Healthy Young Athletes
Special Olympics has introduced another element of Young Athletes, Healthy Young Athletes, to provide healthcare services and support, early childhood intervention, and preventive education to children with ID aged
2-7. Special Olympics Arkansas currently offers Live Healthy Education Fairs in conjunction with inclusive Young Athletes field days across the state. Education topics include: Nutrition, Hand washing, Sun Safety, Dental, Hydration, Bone Health, and active lifestyle.

Special Olympics Sport Development
Special Olympics Sport Development will follow the Young Athletes model with an emphasis on developmental play in a fun and supportive environment. The program will fill the gap between the individual skills that are developed in Young Athletes (like running and kicking) and the ability to put those skills together for competitive play.

For more information on our Young Athletes program please contact Jennifer Edwards   (501) 771-0222

YA Registration Form

YA Registration Form Spanish

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If you are interesting in receiving a complete copy of the Young Athletes Curriculum

Click here

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Young Athlete Curriculum:

Young Athlete Field Day:

Other Young Athlete Resources:

• Week 1 Lesson Plans - Foundation Skills
• Week 2 Lesson Plans - Walking and Running
• Week 3 Lesson Plans - Balance and Jumping
• Week 4 Lesson Plans - Trapping and Catching
• Week 5 Lesson Plans - Throwing
• Week 6 Lesson Plans - Striking
• Week 7 Lesson Plans - Kicking
• Week 8 Lesson Plans - Review of Skills as Sports
• YA Toolkit
• YA Help Videos
• YA Activity Guide

Lessons plans can be found in spanish here.

• ​Stations for Circuit - Spring
• Stations for Circuit - Fall
• YA Checklist
• YA Layout - Fall
• YA Layout - Spring

Sport Development Lessons:

• ​Football Activities
• Cycling Activities
• Floorball Activities
• Basketball Activities

• YA T-Shirt Example
• YA Curriculum Flyer
• AETN Early Education​
• Healthy Habits for Life
• Get Into It
• UA ECE Train the Trainer Power Point
• YA Post Training Test 
• Partnership between Special Olympics and Head Start 

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Family fun  with your young athlete:

• Family Flash Cards: Fun and engaging flashcards featuring each of the individual activities and at home equipment modifications for families to use at home to run Young Athletes.
• Young Athletes At Home  Guide for families and caregivers on how to run Young Athletes activities at home.
• Young Athletes Videos  Videos demonstrating the individual Young Athletes activities.
• Healthy Play at Home: Poster for families to track the various healthy behaviors they do at home.

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