Young Athletes - Special Olympics New Zealand

Young Athletes is our free inclusive sport and play programme tailored for children with intellectual disabilities.

It introduces fundamental movement skills such as running, kicking, throwing, catching, and hand-eye co-ordination, and helps children develop social and emotional skills in a fun, active environment.

Benefits of the Young Athletes Programme

The benefits of our programmes go beyond sports. They;

develop children’s self-esteem, sense of belonging, and confidence.
help Tamariki interact with each other and develop communication, learning and listening skills. 
enable children of all abilities to experience success.
encourage young people to try new things and find activities they enjoy.
provide Tamariki the opportunity to engage with others (peers, teachers, and parents) on a shared activity.

Upcoming programmes

Frequently Asked Questions

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Our Programmes

Classes are run in-school and on weekends.

In-school Programme

4-8 week programme for school students aged approximately 5-12 years old.

Key details:
Session length: 40-45 minutes

Number of students per group: 8-10 (aim to group students by age)

Teacher and Teacher Aide Support: a minimum 1:4 staff/student ratio is recommended (to be agreed between YAP Lead and school based on the nature of the class).

Weekend Programme

6-week programme for children aged approximately 2-10 years old. Sessions run for 40 minutes and are held on Saturdays during the school term.

Weekend Young Athletes Programmes are running in the Wellington region in 2025.

Term 1 registrations now closed
Register for Term 2 here

Contact Information
Rachel Goodin
Email: yaplead@specialolympics.org.nz
Phone: 0274248999

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the programme cost?

Nothing! The programme is free.

My child has Autism, can they be included?

Yes, the programme is Autism friendly.

Can I bring siblings to sessions?

Siblings are welcome to join in. Sibling engagement has benefits for both siblings with and without ID by enabling them to play, learn, develop, and work together.

I’m worried my child won’t join in?

We understand that this is a huge challenge for our Young Athletes with lots of change and unfamiliar faces, skills, and space. Observing for a while is a great way for them to make sense of what is happening and to feel safe. Please keep coming back even if they don’t join in! 

My child can find loud environments overstimulating, can they wear earmuffs?

Yes, we encourage you to bring anything that helps your child participate and feel comfortable.

Motor Skills

Social Skills

Acceptance

Young Athletes at Home

Follow along with our Young Athletes at Home video series as programme leaders and tamariki take you through how to set up and do 9 easy exercises designed to help develop fundamental motor, social and communication skills, and have fun doing it!

View it all on our online learning platform, SportTutor. Sign-up takes less than 2 minutes and lets you watch the full series.