ESPN ScoreCenter can be a great resource for your child. Try some of the suggestions below, and let us know what works in the comment box at the bottom of the page.

Flexibility Activity

Encourage your child to research a rival team. Explain that he must try and adopt the perspective of a rival fan. The most noted rivalry in all sports is the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Both fans and players alike, share a mutual dislike for one another. If your child is a Red Sox fan, stress the importance of keeping the Yankees of his featured list of teams. Instead of only receiving updates about his beloved Red Sox, he will also get information about the Yankees. He will be able to see the rivalry from another perspective by reading articles from pro-Yankee writers. Shifting perspective helps your child develop skills that well help him better understand his peers, and adapt to different social situations.

Organization Activity

With your child, organize his ESPN ScoreCenter home screen to feature updates from only local teams. Your child will have to search through each sport's database to choose the teams that are closest to him in location. The app will then begin to resemble a the sports section of a local newspaper; in that local teams receive the most coverage. He will have a multitude of sports coverage most pertinent to his locality. Though organization skills are not directly utilized in the app, creating a list of local teams is a way to encourage your child to begin thinking about how items in a list can be grouped. Grouping similar items is a skill that your child will have to use when taking multiple choice tests, constructing paragraphs in an essay, and solving math equations.

Mathematics Activity

For an upcoming sporting event, have your child review the statistics of the two teams to make an educated predication about the game's outcome. Direct your child to the most important statistics. In a football game, give your child specific statistical categories to analyze. Categories like total offense, passing yards, rushing yards, turnovers, strength of schedule, completion percentage, and defense allowed, should be compared between the two teams. If a high powered offense is playing against a strong defense, your child will need to do some additional number crunching to make a well-researched prediction.

Reading Activity

Encourage your child to practice reading by having him explore the available news articles in ESPN ScoreCenter. Whether he finds these articles interesting on his own, or you find one in advance, and ask him questions that require a close reading of the article. Sports articles tend to be engaging because they are written like editorials. Ideally, your child will gravitate toward articles about his favorite players and teams.

ESPN ScoreCenter & ADHD

Children with ADHD tend to be reluctant readers. From novels to newspapers, hyperactive children lack both the attention span and the interest to closely engage with text. However, reluctant readers don't necessarily have an aversion to opening a book - it is simply that they have not found reading material that they are interested in. Readers who do not have ADHD might be able to struggle through a few pages of extended prose, because they realize it will impact their understanding of the story. It is often the case for children with ADHD, that they must be engaged immediately. ESPN ScoreCenter is a mobile app that allows children access to popular and timely sports related articles. Children who have favorite teams or players, can narrow their searches to focus on what interests them. Sports fans will have a natural inclination to read articles, game reviews, and statistical reports from their favorite teams. It is this inclination that ESPN ScoreCenter exploits, allowing even reluctant readers to peruse the app's content - and more importantly - practice reading.

How to Use ESPN ScoreCenter for Children with ADHD

• While there are many supplementary videos that supplement articles, children with ADHD should focus their efforts on reading the text. Instead of clicking the "videos" tab, children should read articles from "headlines." Exploring headlines and "top news" from the sporting world will make reading seem like less of a burden, and more of an engaging, exploratory endeavor.

• Sports fans often have a few teams that they follow more frequently than others. If this is the case, children with ADHD should personalize their "My Teams" profile, creating a list of favorite teams and sports that the app will feature. Ideally, children will experience a willingness to learn more about "their" teams, and read through a few articles per day. Most news reporting, especially sports-related, is usually written at a fifth grade reading level. While the content may be a bit challenging for younger readers, the nature of the material will likely entice them to attempt the read the article as best they can.

• Children with ADHD should manually sync ESPN ScoreCenter's to their digital calendars. Whether they are using iCal, Google Calendar, or other popular calendar apps, children can keep current with important events in the sporting world. Children with ADHD can use ESPN SportsCenter to incorporate their interests in sports into their daily lives. Including ESPN SportsCenter's events into a mobile calendar is a great way to introduce and practice good planning and time management skills.

ESPN ScoreCenter & Dyslexia

Children with dyslexia often require extra practice developing and strengthening their reading and writing skills. While practicing reading can often feel like a chore, find a topic in which your child is interested in or has a passion for can help give the extra push needed to continually practice reading. ESPN ScoreCenter provides a constant stream of new and updated material for your child to peruse, all related to his or her favorite team, sport, or player.

How to Use ESPN ScoreCenter for Children with Dyslexia:

• Search for the latest headlines on your child's favorite league or team. ESPN ScoreCenter is constantly updating with new material on a range of sports-related subjects, giving your child a never ending stream of text-based information to help practice and develop reading proficiency. Encourage your child to read articles out loud while you make dinner or drive to and from school. When your child stumbles on a word or does not understand its meaning, help him or her sound it out or look it up. 

• Track the same local teams and hold a discussion about your child's favorite articles from the day. Be sure to ask your child what articles he or she has been reading and ask for interesting facts and details. If each of you has read the same article, this discussion can be something for your child to look forward to, further encouraging reading practice.

• Take turns writing up a short summary of the major news surrounding a favorite local sports team. Share the latest briefings after homework, around the dinner table, or on the way to school or team practice. Keeping your child interested in the latest news regarding a team or player can help encourage further exploration of the topic, giving your child information to share during the summary.  Work on writing down a few short sentences for this summary and ask your child to do the same.

• Research a team or player's history using another website or app like Wikipedia. Learning about a team's history can help your child develop a greater connection and passion for the franchise or sport, furthering the enjoyment derived from following the latest news on ESPN ScoreCenter. Take turns reading different articles, researching record-holders, or stats. For example, if your child loves the New England Patriots, take some time to research the team's origins, famous players, and storied championship teams during the 2000's. Finding more information on these topics servers your child by giving more practice reading, as well as helping to develop a strong sense of Self-Awareness.

ESPN ScoreCenter is just one example of a great sports news app. Below are a few similar resources; let us know what you think in the comment box at the bottom of the page.

Sports Illustrated for Kids

Sports Illustrated for Kids is an app and online resource for articles, activities, and sports related materials for young readers. Content ranges across a wide variety of formats and topics and can help encourage young adults to become interesting in reading. Learn more in our Sports Illustrated for Kids review.

NBA Gametime

NBA Gametime keeps users up to date on the latest developments in the NBA playoffs and more. Find out more here.

NFL Mobile

NFL Mobile makes it easy to track pre-season events, games, breaking news, NFL blogs, and more. Find out more here.

MLB.com at Bat

This is the ultimate app for following Minor League Baseball games, players, statistics, highlights, and more. Find out more here.