It’s that time of year again; it’s Opening Day, a day that celebrates the Boys’ of Summer’s reemergence from the offseason and time to play ball again. If your family is anything like ours, reality and kiddie shows are happily swapped for 6 months of America’s Pastime streaming on the tv—that is, when we’re not outside enjoying the outdoors ourselves.
With snow in our forecast, it may not be the most ideal weather for this time of year, but that’s not to say we can’t celebrate Spring and Opening Day with some of the latest and greatest in baseball fun for the kids.
This morning, while I was reading the news online, I was pretty disappointed to read about the decline in kids playing baseball over on WSJ. To be quite honest, despite what the studies show, you’d never know there was a decline from the plethora of great toys and gear that are aimed to share the love of the game.
Here are just a few of my baseball picks in honor of Opening Day:
Melissa and Doug All Star Sports Fill and Spill
Baby can’t throw or catch quite yet, but Melissa and Doug’s All Star Sports Fill and Spill helps to familiarize tiny fingers with ball shapes. Each of the four balls rattle, jingle or crinkle and are suitable for 6 months and up.
Grand Slam Baseball from Step 2
Spotted at Toy Fair last month, Step 2’s Grand Slam Baseball is an electronic auto-pitch machine that encourages hand-eye coordination, not to mention, promotes outdoor play. Geared to the smaller baseball fans, Grand Slam Baseball gets kids fielding balls and a chance to work on their swing.
EA Sweet Spot Baseball Bat
For the bigger kids, EA’s Sweet Spot Bat incorporates a little crowd cheer every time the batter hits or holds the ball in that sweet spot. Ideal for beginners, it features a soft bat, and helps the rookies to refine their accuracy and hand-eye coordination.
SKLZ Sweet Spot Youth Training Bat
Beyond the tee-ball phase, SKLZ makes the top-rated Sweet Spot Youth Training Bat. The training bat features an all-wood barrel and handle, as well as a fiberglass rod, and provides instant feedback and “stings” if hit too far off.
Looking for training tools for entry-level players? SKLZ Hit-A-Way Jr. is something that I’m going to check out for batting practice and hand-eye coordination for our not-quite Tee Ball-aged little guy.
Sports Illustrated Kids: All Access
And to better understand and appreciate America’s Pastime, Sports Illustrated Kids has a new book that delves into the inner sanctum of baseball. Sports Illustrated Kids: All Access grants readers a behind-the-scenes look into cool findings, including favorite stadiums, the story behind the Green Monster and something that I want to know more about: Lousisville Slugger’s journey from big trees to the big leagues.
Go Mets!
And Speaking of behind the scenes look at baseball, did you miss our family’s adventure at Citi Field last season? If you’ve been reading NKT for awhile now, you must already know that we’re Mets fans–in good times and in bad.
It’s always been my husband’s dream to sit in our beloved Mets’ Clubhouse, and thanks to a fun media invite, we had the chance to learn more about the Mets’ new stadium. Be sure to see where our exclusive behind the scenes tour took us at our beloved (and sometimes beleaguered) Mets’ CitiField.
Hooray for a new season! And yes, even for us Mets fans, it’s a brand new ball game!
