Signing up for sports - when?
mysweetpeasWil&Wes wrote: What group sports do your kids play and how old were they when they started? Please include karate and others like gymnastics.  And please note whether you felt you started too early, meaning your child wasn't as ready as you thought.
Anthony275 replied: i started hockey when i was 3 or 4
mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
OMG you would make my DH so happy if he saw this! You must have read my mind, because this is why I'm asking. DH plays hockey and someone on his team just gave us a small hockey stick, jersey and gloves, Wil's size (he is 3). DH also got a free pair of kids skates for signing up with his league. Too big for Wil now, but he will probably fit into them next year. We took him out ice skating a few weekends back and he didn't get it. But I'm just wondering at what age they can start. Thanks for sharing. 
moped replied: Too funny, Tom and I are emailing right now to sign Jack up for ski lessons at the Canada Olympic Park - it is the Cub program
I hope he is ready - we shall see.......
Then in the Spring he might play soccer..........
Calimama replied: I started gymnastics, tumbling, and dance at 3! Loved it!.. well from what I can remember. 
Anthony275 replied:
well you should get him started on learning to skate, my brother was very small for his agewhen he started but that didnt make a difference from playing. it just took time to grow into the skates but give 4-6 months and they'll fit
try the chair or walker thing when you bring him out to skate
mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
That's another one on DH's mind, snowboarding! I know kids can start when they are two. I'm sure Jack will pick it up just great. Do they have to be potty trained to be in the program Jen? I know Jack is, but just curious, since this seems to be the prerequisite for most team sports. I know karate here at our YMCA starts at 5, which seems sortof old for me.
mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
Yeah, I have to look for a place that has the walkers. The rink we went to only had 5 gallon buckets upside down. Wil didn't understand that he had to actually do any work. Kept letting his legs slide apart. DH has a bad knee so it was hard for him to bend over the whole time. I think I'll wait until he is four, but maybe we'll go out skating this year as one more attempt.
moped replied: I don't know Rae, but for that program a parent is with them for the lesson - so it doesn't really say anything about PT.......
I would say most team sports that hte parent isn't right there they would have to be PT, but maybe not.
How is Wil doing with that?
Hillbilly Housewife replied: OMG you're tlaking to the chick with the most sheltered background you can imagine.
I started piano, gymnastics and ballet at 3. I started tap/jazz and "official" swimming lessons at 6, as well as karate and figure skating.
I started violin lessons at 13 or 14, as well as ballroom dancing and german language lessons.
Anthony275 replied:
also forgot to add that if he has snowpants, the ones with the straps, you can hold onto those and hold him up while he skates. my mom did that to me and it worked
holley79 replied: Annika has taken come mommy & me gymnastics classes. She had a great time, this was just a couple months ago.
luvmykids replied: They all had swim lessons last summer, at 5 and 3. Kylie did gymnastics this fall but we quit, it was too much for her on a school day...if it had been later in the day it might have worked better but it was during their afternoon recovery from school time 
Colt just had his first wrestling practice last night.
Nikka took her first ski lessons at four, dance at five.
eta: Did you check out the Y? Ours has basketball, soccer and tball "mini" leagues, I think they start at age three.
MotherForever2043 replied: amber took dance (tappj, and ballet) from when she was 5 until 7 yrs old. But, she didn't like it very much. Now she's taking cheerleading classes. Esther's been taking dance since she was 4 yrs old and is still taking it now. She's taking jazz, tap, lyrical, ballet, and hip hop. I tell her that's too much classes, but she manages to balance everything out. She's also taking Tennis in April.
CantWait replied: Well Anthony did soccer this year (age 4) and I don't think he was the least bit ready for it, either that or it just didn't interest him. Although he gets excited every time we pass the soccer field.
He's in gymnastics right now and he absolutely loves it. He also really enjoys swim lessons.
mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
Thanks for the tip! 
Monica, wrestling for little guys? Never knew they had it. Cute! Have you shared pics? I'm looking forward to getting Wil in karate, but like I said, they have to be 5 at our YMCA. My friend had her 4 year old at a special karate school, but it is so expensive and I can tell her daughter didn't even like it. Other sports at the Y start at 3 years old, but they have to be PT. And most sports like soccer are in the summer since it's so cold here.
Jen, he's doing okay. I'm taking a whole new approach. His lead. Little potty sits in the living room now, his choice. He gets the stuff ready, he flushes what he does in the little potty in the big one. He "do it all by MYSELF"...I hear that a lot. Not even close to wearing underwear, but I'm okay with that. I'm just so happy he is willing to go. Not always, but sometimes. Baby steps...that's all I can ask for. 
lovemy2 replied: Olivia did dance at 2 - she liked it - and for the most part participated - I think it was a good starting activity for a girl -
Then she did gymanstics at 3 - that was harder - it was a busy gym and there was alot to look at in addition to what she was supposed to look at
She played indoor soccer starting at 4 and that was a good time for her to start sports like that - she was big enough - even though she is pretty small - to hold her own, etc. and she enjoyed the running around - then she played outdoor soccer this past summer - she was just 5 - she loved it but spent more time picking daisies than actually playing
She will continue playing soccer in the spring and then wants to be a cheerleader in the Fall - THAT she should be really good at - yelling, screaming and jumping around are some of her best skills
I think even at 2 she learned alot about listening, being in a group, following directions, etc. it was very good for her
MyBlueEyedBabies replied: Matt started Hapkido (korean martial arts) a few months ago. he does awesome and absolutely loves going...and practicing at home. He was totally ready, there is another little girl in the class who is also 3 and she has been there over 6 months still doesn't know any of the motions (Matt know 1-3 and the falls and kicks). she does seem to enjoy being there but I would have to say she doesn't seem ready if ykwim
luvmykids replied:
I didn't know either until DH started hounding me about it  It's through the high school...apparantly all of them have a junior wrestling team. The team Colt is on is the Studs  
I haven't taken pics yet, last night was the first practice and I wasn't there. I did go tonight and OMG is it cute if I do say so myself  He's the littlest guy there but he is pretty tough and held his own. He's so excited. First thing when I picked him up from school was did I get his wrestling shoes 
Anthony275 replied: does he have any idea what hes doing yet? wait until hes doing take downs
luvmykids replied:
A little bit...last night when he got home he showed me the single leg take down, double leg, and a crossover (I think?) Tonight they worked on defense. They warm up for awhile...lots of stretching, running laps, sit ups, push ups, bear crawls, etc then they work on moves, then they do other drills, like wrestling a huge ball away from each other, etc. Then they do sprints, wheelbarrows, running with a kid on their back, etc...I was a little shocked at how serious it was because the coaches are pretty tough and they're there for business. But Colt had a blast, it's the only time the poor kid is actually encouraged to pin someone down, the rest of the times his sisters scream when he does it
mom21kid2dogs replied: We aren't big overscheduers in our house so we started very late when compared to most people we know. Also, in our house we place a very high priority on finishing what you start and weren't looking to set ourselves up for the "activities battles" we watched so many of our other friends go through.
Olivia started tumble tots at 4.5 (a YMCA pre gymnastics program) and the next year "graduated" into an acrobatics class which we did for 2 more years. The classes were very smal (tumble tots had 7 kids, acrobatics 4). The some of the younger kids in tumble tots seemed to have a great degree of difficulty doing things like waiting in line, waiting for their turn, etc. We selected this for her because it seemed to be a more active thing than say ballet and seemed much better as a fit with her personality. She liked it alot.She didn't start swimming lessons until 5.5 (I taught her before that). She has always been a fish and is, at 7, done with the highest Red Cross level she can do before lifesaving classes. She was in soccer at 5.5~that was hysterical. It's like watching a beehive and the ball is the queen. They just ran up and down the field in a big group kicking at the ball. It wasn't her thing and she didn't sign up again. This summer(6.5) she played baseball~much better fit for her both age and skill~wise. She's very good and enjoys the sport alot. I'm fairly certain she'll continue in that. Still at that age (they had all completed K) many kids were playing in the outfield, getting frustrated by the monotony of the sport, etc. Honestly at this age, these activities are done to please the parents and give them an exposure to it so it's a crap shoot seeing how it goes from the kid's point of view. There are a few kids who have both passion and promise in a certain area(sports wise) and it's great that they can get an early start.
Boo&BugsMom replied: Tanner's first sport was T-ball. It was not his thing. Tanner likes the fast paced sports like hockey, basketball, and football. He got really bored in the outfield and we'd find him sitting down eating grass to pass the time. He was just about 4 at the time. This last year while I was on maternity leave I signed him up for a sports class at our local Y that introduced him to various different sports. Each week they tried something new. That is really the way to go, IMO, if they have yet to try any sports. It gave him an idea of what is out there and then he could pick what he likes best. They did basketball, floor hockey, football, baseball/t-ball, and soccer. He liked football and floor hockey the best. I really liked taking him, that way we now know what really interests him. This next summer they have a flag football league we'll hopefully get him into. Now we know what he thinks is boring and what he enjoys.
moped replied:
We are the same - don't overschedule at all here
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