Waboba balls (Pro, Extreme, Surf, and Blast) received the seal of approval for kids with special needs by AblePlay.org. All for one, one for all!



Features and Benefits

  • Wide Age Range
  • Innovative
  • Can Be Used Independently or w/Others
  • Promotes Active Play
  • Includes Activity Guide to Expand Play
  • Provides Pretend Play Opportunities
  • Clearly Written Instructions
  • Open-ended
  • Tactilely Stimulating
  • High Contrasting Colors
  • Durable
  • Lightweight
Developmental processes promoted
  • Motor Planning
  • Balance
  • Gross Motor
  • Wrist Rotation
  • Two-Handed Play – Midline Focus and Transferring
  • Physical Range of Motion
  • Imagination/Pretend Play
  • Coordinated Movement
  • Social Interaction
  • Reaching/Arm Extension
  • Eye-Hand Coordination
  • Hand and Finger Grasp
  • Language Development
  • Cause and Effect
  • Memory and Recall
  • Auditory Processing
  • Visual Processing
  • Auditory Attention
  • Visual Tracking
  • Visual Attention
  • Turn Taking
  • Bilateral Coordination



Sensory


Description
  • When the Waboba balls hit the water, they make a splash sound to provide auditory interest.
  • The different Waboba balls have varying densities and are made of a smooth polyurethane with either a smooth rubber-like texture or covered in a stitched lycra material. These features increase the tactile interest of the balls.
  • The bold colors of the Waboba balls provide visual attention and are especially helpful when in the water.
Skills
  • Children can practice visual tracking as they bounce or skip the Waboba ball on the water or to a friend.
  • Auditory attention is promoted as children orient their heads and bodies to where the sound of the Waboba ball is.
  • Depth perception can be encouraged as children toss or skip the Waboba ball into the water.
  • Children can use the Waboba balls to practice visual scanning when it is being skipped or thrown out into the water.
Play Ideas
  • Have a child close his eyes and feel and identify between the different sizes, textures and densities of the Waboba balls.
  • A caregiver can set up different buckets of water around the yard for the child to bounce the Waboba balls into if he (or the caregiver) is nervous about water play.
  • The child can hula hoop in knee deep water while a caregiver or peer tries to toss a Waboba ball into the hoop while it is circling. This provides vestibular input to the child while interacting with others.
  • Have the child use a cup to catch the Waboba balls instead of using his hands to catch. This will hone eye-hand coordination, visual tracking and attention skills.
Adaptation Ideas
  • If a child is blind or visually impaired, a caregiver can splash the water or make a noise as a sound indicator for him to throw in that direction.


Communicative


Description
  • Playing catch with the Waboba balls requires the ability to recognize spatial relationships.
  • Playing with the Waboba balls encourages social play.
  • Waboba balls appeal to a wide age range, allowing children of varying ages and cognitive levels to use them together.
  • Children can use Waboba balls independently or with others which encourages communication and interaction among children, their peers and adults.
Skills
  • A caregiver can help the child practice receptive language skills as she gives him directions on where to throw the Waboba ball. In turn, the child can practice his expressive language skills to give directions.
  • Toss the Waboba ball back and forth to provide opportunities for give and take.
  • Parallel play can be encouraged using the Waboba balls.
  • Visual attention, which is important in appropriate conversation (e.g. making eye contact), is reinforced when playing catch with others using the Waboba balls.
  • Awareness of others is reinforced during Waboba ball play. A child must make sure the intended receiver is ready and prepared to catch the ball. Additionally, a child must make sure the space of play is open for Waboba ball bouncing.
Play Ideas
  • Spell a word by tossing the Waboba ball back and forth stating one letter of the word each time the ball is thrown and caught.
  • Play games that help a child work on receptive language skills such as, “Throw the ball to Anna.” Or, “Bounce the ball twice.” The child can also work on expressive language skills by giving the directions instead.
  • Play a game of 500- choose a person to be “it” and throw the ball and determine the number of points that should be distributed. Whoever catches the ball gets the points. First person to 500 wins!
  • Create a game of catch by bouncing the Waboba ball to one another. Begin using only one bounce to get it to the other person. Then use 2 bounces for the next round, then 3 and so on.


Physical



Description
  • Playing with the Waboba balls promotes active play and helps combat childhood obesity.
  • Throwing and catching the Waboba balls requires balance and coordination.
  • Using the Waboba balls can be used as a motivator for a child to use his hands, arms and increase strength.
  • Motor planning and sequencing steps to complete a task are incorporated into play- retrieve ball, grasp the ball, find balance and stance, and throw the Waboba ball.
  • Waboba balls are well constructed providing durability for long-term use.
  • The Waboba balls are lightweight, enabling a child with muscle weakness the opportunity to play successfully.
  • The Waboba balls float on water which makes them easily accessible for a child to find on top of the water versus under the water.
  • A child who may have cerebral palsy or another physical disability may be more independent in the water as it creates buoyancy for them to stay balanced and coordinated to throw and catch the Waboba balls.
  • Waboba balls are easy to grasp/hold.
Skills
  • Bilateral coordination is practiced as children stabilize their bodies to throw or catch the Waboba balls.
  • Whole hand grasp and strength are used to throw the Waboba balls.
  • Enhancing gross motor skills can be targeted during play as children throw, catch, skip, and toss the Waboba balls.
  • Hand and finger strength can be increased when a child squeezes the Waboba balls.
  • Reaching and arm extension are encouraged as children throw the Waboba balls.
  • Hand transferring can take place as children manipulate one Waboba ball between their hands.
  • Because Waboba balls are made to play in water, this provides children who have high muscle tone (hypertonic) the opportunity to relax, stretch and release muscles during play.
Play Ideas
  • Use a hula hoop in the water to practice bouncing the Waboba balls into the hoop and not letting them bounce out.
  • Encourage strengthening of finger and hand muscles or arm muscles by squeezing the Waboba balls- similar to stress balls.
  • A caregiver can bounce the Waboba ball on the water and the child can try to jump up in the air to get it before it lands back down on the water.
Adaptation Ideas
  • Use a ball launcher dog toy to allow more leverage and independence for someone that may not be able to throw it on his own.
  • Use a hula hoop as the “catch zone” for the child if the ball is too small to catch. He can hold the hula hoop outside of the water or let it float on top of the water and guide the hula hoop to catch the Waboba balls.



Cognitive


Description
  • Children learn through repetition and the Waboba balls provide repetitive action.
  • Ball play is familiar and easy to understand.
  • Play duration is easily modifiable.
  • Waboba balls appeal to a wide age range, allowing children of varying ages and cognitive levels to use them together.
  • Waboba ball encourages creation of new games and activities to be shared on waboba.com.
  • A hands-on approach to learning encourages attention span.
  • There are 4 different Waboba balls to choose from to fit the needs of the child using them- Pro, Blast, Extreme and Surf. For example, the Waboba Blast is made specifically for pool play with its engineered design to be more controllable and not bounce as high as the other Waboba balls.
Skills
  • Problem solving skills are used as children learn how to throw the balls and make them bounce on water.
  • The understanding of cause and effect is heightened as a child learns how the ball bounces on different water for example, lake vs. ocean.
  • Water safety issues can be targeted as children and caregivers talk about the importance of safe play with the Waboba balls around open water.
  • Counting can be practiced when a- child counts the number of times the Waboba ball bounces on the water before it stops.
  • Color recognition and identification can become a part of play when a child describes the Waboba ball Pro, Blast, Extreme or Surf.
  • Directionality such as high/low or left/right can be incorporated into play.
  • Encourage the understanding of object permanence by submerging the ball under water and letting it pop back up to the surface.
Play Ideas
  • A caregiver and the child can create their own game to be submitted to the International Waboba Federation (IWF).
  • A caregiver can assist the child with reading through and selecting games to play on the IWF website.
  • A caregiver and the child can find YouTube videos of games to play with Waboba balls outside of the games included in the instructions.
  • Play a game of copycat- a caregiver can throw the Waboba ball and the child can mimic the type of throw- overhand, underhand, skipping the Waboba ball, etc.
  • During Waboba ball play, encourage memory and recall. For instance, a caregiver can bounce the ball to the child and say, “What animal says, ‘moo’?” and when the child bounces the ball back, he can answer, “a cow.” Use age appropriate/developmentally appropriate questions such as, “What is 8x4?” or “Who was the first president of the United States.” This activity can be a fun way to learn vocabulary words, times tables and a host of other school necessities.
Adaptation Ideas
  • A caregiver can rewrite the instructions for games from IWF or the games included with the Waboba ball guide for the child to better understand.