I have three small children who love to play soccer.  While the older two (6 y.o. twins) can sometimes handle a regulation size soccer ball, their 4 year old sister has difficulty.  Enter this ball.  This ball looks exactly like the "real" (aka size 5) ball that their older sister and her friends use, yet it is much easier for the little ones to control.  The ball arrived partially inflated, but it only took a couple of pumps from a hand pump to get the ball ready to go.  My three children have enjoyed kicking this around the yard and playing "soccer" with it using two trees as goal posts.  Our dog, a Carin Terrier mix, has also enjoyed playing with it, and has not managed to pop the ball with his claws (The ball is too large for him to bite it.)  The kids have had this ball for a little over two weeks and it has seen regular use, and so far is no worse for the wear.  The stitching is secure and the ball has remained inflated.  I have noticed that my 6 year olds seem to be improving their ball handling skills since practicing with the smaller ball.  I think this is a great soccer ball for smaller children for whom a larger ball would be difficult for them to handle.