Junior Athletes

Junior Athletes is a non-competitive, multi-sport play program for children with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities from ages 6 to 12. Junior Athletes focuses on the development of a child’s physical literacy prior to competitive or recreational Special Olympics sport participation and supports the development of key social and emotional skills, like teamwork, cooperation, and self-management. Resources currently offered for Junior Athletes implementation include a comprehensive introduction guide written for both Special Olympics Program staff and Junior Athletes coaches. Additionally, lesson plans are provided to support implementation in both school and community settings. Lesson plans have been created to provide consistent and developmentally appropriate sport skill progression through play for children ages 6 – 12 with and without IDD. Finally, to round out the Special Olympics Junior Athletes training both Program staff and coaches implementing the program are required to complete the Junior Athletes Coaches Course found on our eLearning portal.

Be advised that Junior Athletes is a new and emerging Special Olympics program. Please bookmark this webpage and check-in often for updated lessons and guidelines.