With the NBA and NCAA basketball seasons in full-swing, I thought it would be a great time to share a fun basketball activity!  My hometown has a Special Needs Social Club and they offered “Basketball Hoopla” as one of their monthly sessions.  If you don’t have access to a gym, it’s definitely something you could do at home with siblings or friends.

• Warm-up – Start with some basic stretches for hamstrings, arms, shoulders, waist and hands.  Continue warming up with a short walk or jog around the house or gym.
• Bounce Pass – Bounce the ball once to your partner.
• Chest Pass – Pass the ball to your partner at chest height.
• Shoot, Re-bound and Pass – One person stands under the basket while the other person shoots the ball.   The person under the basket retrieves the ball and passes it back to their partner.  After a few turns, switch to give the other person a turn.  Shoot the ball from different distances.
• Dribbling – While dribbling the ball, follow the leader around the house or gym.
• Shoot until you get a basket – Keep shooting and get as many baskets as you can!

All the participants got some good exercise and worked together as a team.  We modified all the techniques to accommodate Caitlin’s ability. As you might tell from the pictures, it doesn’t have to be done exactly right to have a ton of fun! 

Thanks for stopping by!

JoAnn O.

JoAnn’s journey as a parent and caregiver to an individual with disabilities started when her daughter was born pre-maturely with multiple health issues resulting in cognitive, physical and speech disabilities.  Over the years, JoAnn discovered that recreation, travel and social experiences can bring happiness and relief to a life that is often stressful and frustrating.  She loves to seek out adaptive, accessible and fun activities for her daughter and the whole family to enjoy.  She started the blog www.OurSpecialFunOasis.com to share her uplifting stories and positive ideas to help and to inspire others.