Wanting to Put My 3 Year Old into Sports

Hi,

Try Soccer Tots at Soccer Zone. They have classes for two and three year olds. It is not a league, just 45 minute classes where they play games - not soccer games, but games that involve a soccer ball! My son who is three, really likes it. They kick balls through hula hoops, play fox and farmer and a host of other games. I don't think you'll find anywhere that actually has a league or organized games for kids this young but this is a fun thing to do with them until they are older.

As a mom of 3 teen age boys and a coach for a team of 90 kids, I have a viewpoint. It disagrees with some of the other posters, but here goes. Ages 3 and 4 are way too young for organized sports!

Ages 5 and under should be learning to play, have fun, learning to listen and learn about the world thru activity. Young children should not be learning about competition and "beating the other team."
Gym and tumble programs, kids movement programs, swim lessons are best.

In my 19 years as a parent and 7 years as a coach, I have seen the competitiveness among kids (and their PARENTS) get downright dirty and nasty.
I saw a referee have to jump in and stop an argument between 2 parents this summer over which kid took 1st in a swim race. The kids were 7 years old.

I know of a football player who started taking designer "muscle enhancers" at the age of 15 b/c he wanted to be as strong as the 17-18 year olds.

One of my neighbors has a daughter in karate & they started her at 3 so she could be the "youngest black belt in Texas." The parents wanted this, obviously not the 3 year old. She is now 9, has an eating disorder and serious sleep/ anxiety issues that have caused her to miss much school. The youngest black belt in TX will have to repeat 3rd grade, while her friends move to 4th.

This doesn't happen to everyone, of course. But it has a tendency to occur in families who place a lot of emphasis on their kids' organized sports. And sometimes it starts at a very early age. Sometimes not. For many, it never happens at all. I just advise keeping things in perspective.

I would warn everyone against starting kids down this journey too soon.
Let your kids have fun: go for hikes and bike rides and teach them to be water safe by age 5. Or get them good swim lessons. Teach them to throw a ball, and kick a ball in the street or at the playground. 3 and 4 year olds should run around the park with other kids.
Have a good time. The competition starts soon enough.

I think just turning 3 is pretty young for organized sports. I coached soccer for a few years and it was pretty hard with the 4 year olds. I would recommended finding a class like Gymboree or Little Gym. Somewhere he will get to move around and play. My boy enjoyed that alot at that age.

I cannot think of any type of organized sports for 3 year olds.

They are pretty young for following rules and directions. You could get him a soccer ball, a basket ball and hoop by tiny tikes. A large baseball with a bat, plastic golf club with balls. Work on his running, walking backwards, kicking,skipping hopping and catching on your own. Kids this age just need to be creative and active. They do not need any organized sports.

Make sure he can climb a slide, swing and pump his legs on a swing. Peddle a trike by the time he is 4 and he will be doing great.

I don't live in S. Austin anymore, BUT, I do know that the YMCA in Katy offers tball and soccer so you may want to check and see if there is one close to you and check them out. YOu do NOT have to be a member to sign up. It's just a little more expensive if you aren't. At least thats how it works here. I have a 3 year old also and just signed him up for soccer here. Hope that helps some. Good Luck!!!

I would agree that 3 year old is a tad early to start organized sports... My husband coaches baseball and through our expereince with t-ball with 5 year olds alone is hard enough regarding attention span and safety as they love to play in the dirt and pick grass in the outfield. You can play catch with him at home, and I would agree to enroll him swim lessons for activities. Most organized sport organization will not register 2 or 3 year olds. Enjoy your time with him as we live at the baseball and softball fields 24/7 as my kiddos are 7 and 9 and are very active softball and baseball players. We did not sign them up until they were 5 and 6 to play. Hope this is helpful.

Married for 10 years and a full time working mother of 2 very active children ages 9 and 7.

As far as I know there are no sports that have teams for children younger than 4. I believe you have to be 4 by August to play on the youngest team for soccer. T-ball is even older, I think 5. There is a cute program at South Austin Soccer Zone called Soccertots. It is an hour long, my then 3 yr old participated the entire time, and loved every minute of it. During the class the kids play many games that teach them many soccer moves...dribbling, passing etc.
Hope this helps.

I would say that 3YO is probably a tad early for team sports. I've got three girls (19, 17, 8) and we've participated in various team sports. I HIGHLY encourage every parent to get their child in swim lessons as early as possible for fun, and more importantly SAFETY. One note: my 8YO has a good friend that plays volleyball on Friday nights, but she cannot swim!! She is 8YO and wears arm floaties, and is afraid to venture away from the side of the pool -- the end result is that this child is being left behind with her peers and can't enjoy summertime at the pool with friends. Three is a perfect age to start swim lessons, and there are numerous places to take lessons indoors year-round. Our family summers have included swim team every summer since 2000 -- we have met numerous other kids and families, have great memories, and the kids are better for it. Additionally our kids have competed in other sports in fall/winter/spring -- like basketball, volleyball, and soccer. My 17YO will probably play college volleyball next year. Good luck to you!!

Since your child is only two, most organized sports will not yet allow him to partcipate. Also, developmentally, he would not be ready for all the rules and requirements of team sports. What you could do instead is look into something like Little Gym. They have sports, not just gymnastics. They also have karate and dance. I think you would be pleased with their sports or karate programs. Plus, they offer a couple of sessions free to see if you and your child like it.

I don't live in your area but go to your local YMCA. The only sport a child can play at 3 is soccer. They always have a fall, spring, and summer session. I put my kids in soccer at 3 not really for the sport but to interact with others their age, get some exercise, and learn coordination. It is so fun watching them just run around. At the YMCA it is non competetive and everyone gets to play which is a great positive environment for their age.

Good morning,
Unfortunately none of the major leagues start at three, but I started my son out at Dittmar rec center. So all the rec centers allow sports at the age of three. They have tee ball, soccer and basketball. I know veery cute I must say. Let me know if there is anything else that I can assist with. Hope this works. Have fun. After that the majors start at four we moved to oak hill for tee ball adn upward adn so on. They even have flag football for threes. I am sorry I get excited on these subjects. Have a great day.

T.
Supermom of 3 wonderful boys and 1 beautiful girl!

I would suggest a tumbling class. It helps with coordination and they get to have fun and socialize.

My sons baseball league starts Tball at age 4, so I'm pretty sure he's too young for that. So I would check the local YMCA and other gymnastics places near you for a toddler tumbling class.

I agree with checking your local YMCA. We have our 3 year old signed up for T-Ball this fall! What is great about the Y is that there are no points, just tons of fun and learning how to play. Also - if you're a member, you only have to pay for the uniform, the rest if free. There is a charge for non-members so you can still sign him up. I also tried a soccer workshop for him when he was an older 2, but he didn't care for it. He just wanted to run and kick the ball, no rules! But - since it was only $15 (I think), it was a great place to see if he liked it.

Best of luck, have fun!

Check with your YMCA. We started our son at the Y for Tball and it was a good stepping stone. He's now 8 and will be going into select kids pitch baseball this coming season. He has played almost year round since he was 3. Started at the Y to get his feet wet and went onto a more competitive league at 4-5. Stay in t-ball for the first couple of years so they don't just know how to hit the ball but how to field the ball. I love that he's into the sport and it has gotten all of us into it. My hb has been his coach now for the last 2.5 years. Great family stuff.