ZUYEE 2.36 Inch Wrist Return Ball Sports Wrist Ball Rubber Rebound Bouncy Wristband Balls (Basketball, Baseball, Soccer) On Elastic String for Wrist Exercise or Play,Children Gift Party Favor Toy

I’m 9 years old and my brother is 7. We can’t stop playing with these reflex balls, they’re so much fun! It’s challenging but once you get the hang of it, it becomes easier but not too easy. If you play baseball or you're a hockey goalie, they’re highly recommended.

In his essay "Toys," Roland Barthes argues that all children's toys are simulacra of things that adults do and are used to, such as a medical tool play kit mirroring that of a real doctor's. What is so wonderful about these wrist band balls is their ability to wholly subvert the idea that toys must teach, and that toys must reflect some sense of adult life. Instead, the wrist band ball asserts to a child that play can happen alone, and can be wholly detached from meaning while still providing joy. Rather than attaching a child to some sense of reality, this toy wholly removes them from it. It does not train them for any real life event, and there is no transferable skill involved in catching a ball attached to a string, attached to your wrist. This toy is not for parents who want their children to learn something as they are playing, nor is it a tool for increased productivity in play. It is simple, useless (in a way), and strangely sentimental for me in my 20s. Unlike my childhood, where play could simply be playing catch with myself, the play of adults usually exists to serve some end: reading is a moment to learn, walking around the park is exercise. As a child, I used this toy in tandem with other mindless activities, like watching TV. Now, I find that I can use this toy as a sort of de-stressing tool; while reading a book, while watching TV still, or even just by itself. It is endlessly explorable, and one can even become skilled at using the toy, doing different tricks, throwing the ball at different speeds. There is, in some sense, an element of risk or danger which escaped me until I repurchased this toy. Though you can throw the ball as hard as you want, it is in a way unpredictable and uncontrollable, because the string changes its elasticity with the velocity of your throw. However, if the ball comes for your face, you can't defend yourself with one hand--the one which the ball is attached to. Further, throwing this ball in a contained space is a huge risk, if there are any fragile items near by. By using this toy, then, I find myself escaping adulthood, which is structural and formulaic, and instead find myself returning to the disorder and simple excitement of childhood.

My kids bought a different version of this type of toy at camp and it broke quickly. They loved the concept but wanted one that was sturdier so we bought this based on the positive reviews. It did not disappoint! They have had them for around 5 months now and are still working great. They are easy to grab when we need some portable activities and always entertaining.

I ordered these for my 7 and 10 year old grandsons. They love them and it helps with catching accuracy. Great for practicing for baseball!

Kids use these for training aids for hockey & they are great.