I buy the majority of my youngest children's toys from the Early Learning Centre because I think they are generally really good quality and come at a very reasonable price. One such toy my kids have is the Early Learning Centre Blue Foam Football which cost me £5.00 direct from the ELC website. The ball came in a choice of blue or pink - and we opted for blue just because blue is my little boys favourite colour.

This ball looks like a normal football in as much as it is round with "patches" on it in true football style. It is made entirely out of foam and so it is very light weight and so it's easy for even the smallest child to have a go at kicking and catching. Because it is so light weight and made of foam it is particularly designed to be used indoors and so it's really good for the kids to play with in the winter months. Having said that, it is still capable of knocking things over and so some supervision and care is still needed. Because it's foam, it is quite squashy and my son is quite partial to seeing how small he can squash it - but then it will ping straight back out again and retain it's shape.

However, the negative thing about this ball is the fact that if it is taken outside it can become unusable very quickly. If it gets wet then the ball becomes incredibly heavy and then it can effectively become like a missile is kicked and could do a lot of damage. Of course it is possible to squeeze the water out, but it does take a long time to dry out again. In addition, it gets dirty very quickly in the garden and again, although it's possible to wash it, it takes a long time to dry out. Another thing that isn't so great is the fact that because it's made of foam it is possible to pick at it and I know I have seen my children to pick at it and so there are little chunks missing from it.

Overall, this is an okay ball, and while the fact that it is made of foam can be advantageous because it means it can be used indoors, it is also a hindrance because it can get wet and muddy very easily. I'm not sure I would recommend it or not.