How Many Sports per Year?

Katharine,

Good for your for being concerned about OVER SCHEDULING your son. Your son is 8, and deserves to have a childhood with activities he chooses because he enjoys them, not because Mom or Dad has a passion for them.

With that being said, what does your son want to do? Does he still want to play baseball or cut it out completely? Or keep it up just for Dad? I would ask him first to gauge the appropriate choice...but, if you've maintained a 'one sport a year rule' and it's what works for you then why change it? He's still young and has so much time to decide which sport he really wants to focus on...

What we have done in our family with me and my sister, cousins and now with nephews and godkids is maintain that it is up to them, but if there school or studies fail one sport has to go. I did, softball in the spring and basketball in the fall...and, there was no overlap so it was fine. Eventually, I lost interest in softball and basketball was my core sport until high school. But, that's what worked for us.

I think it's really about what you know will work for your family and keeping it consistent, and not changing because his Dad is a fan of one sport or another.

Good Luck!

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We allow one sport per season and it works really well. My son (7 yrs. old) plays flag football in the fall, basketball in the winter then baseball in the spring. The seasons overlap a bit but not too much. I wouldn't do two sports at once though because practices and games often happen at the same time. My daughter (10 yrs. old) is 100% softball and plays it nine months out of the year. they have to get homework done and keep grades up to play their sports. they know school comes first and they accept that.

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How great that your child's father is involved in his life! I would be so grateful that he was willing to support his son in an activity they can share. Baseball is an activity that can bring them together forever. Do not get in the way of that father-son bond. Your son is 8 - he is entering the years when he will need his dad to show him how to be a man. They need to have a relationship so that your son can go to him and ask questions and seek advice. These moments on the baseball field are about so much more than baseball. Encourage in every way their time together. That is how you show love to your son.
Good luck!

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I say... a child should NOT 'have to' do a sport because it's his parent's desire.

A childhood is about finding out things and exploring all types of interests. Even if it is not something a parent finds 'fun.' ie: maybe a boy wants to take dancing? That is fine. Maybe his Dad is a 'jock'... so what. A child has to have their own dreams and paths. They are an individual.

Now, at 8 years old, 1 sport a year is totally reasonable. And yes, they need time to do other things... as a kid, not a 'competitor.' This contributes to a child being "well-rounded", to me.

Yes, sports also teaches good things and social skills, team playing and attitude. For better or worse. The thing is... I don't think a child should be forced into it.

A child...should be asked their opinion. And yes, I have even asked my daughter's Teachers what THEY think about kids being shuttled around from one activity to another and 'having' to be in sports or lessons. ALL the Teachers I asked unanimously said that kids are "over-scheduled" nowadays... they have seen LOTS of kids that come to school tired.... lack of sleep, homework not done, or homework not done well, the Parent's not helping them and the child being rushed to their sports practices/games and their school well-being suffers. And all of this starting from a very young age... even from Kindergarten.
They have even seen lots of children just burnt-out from it all at a very young age... but they do not have the option to take a break or to stop their lessons/sports... because the Parents "want" them to continue. The mentality that a child "has to" do SOMETHING in their 'free' time.... or keeping up with the Jones' kind of thing.

At this age, playing around is just as beneficial, and good for them too.

If your boy wants to try soccer, great. But per his Dad, I don't think he should HAVE TO do 2 sports, nor should he HAVE TO do baseball.

Just my opinion. Maybe try asking his Teachers THEIR "professional" advice, or even ask your son's Coaches what they think, honestly? I really don't think drilling a young child through sports continuously is very fun, and if they have to do it just for the "dad."

All the best,
Susan

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In our family of 3 girls 12-21 the rule has always been one activity at a time so we have done dance, gymnastics,soccer, music,singing and softball has stuck with our 2 oldest and swimming with our youngest. Youngest has done girl scouts for the last 5 years since 1st grade and middle daughter and I have done a mother daughter program through the y for the last 7 years since she was in 3rd grade. They keep busy year round take breaks when needed and get quality time with me and dad. It gets very busy some times but it works for us keeping it to one activity at a time plus girl scouts and adventure guides. Plus the kids get to try different things and see what they like or are really good at. Best of luck to you and your family.

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Hi,

I agree with all the other responses. I've always done 1 sport a season, even if they overlap sometimes. My condition/rule was that if my daughte, who is now 16yrs, wanted to try something new, she must not quit mid-season. It has worked well. She has tried pretty much everything!!! I think it makes our children well-rounded and at the end of the day, they are able to have a real understanding of what they would like to pursue. Besides, 1 activity a season allowed us alot of family time together and kept her busy year-round. Today, she chose only to stick with track and we have her in club during off-season (to keep her in shape and out of trouble) and when the season starts this month, she competes for her high school

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Being that your son is into sports I think that one sport per season would work, 1 per year leaves a lot of time without the comraderie of a team, etc.

Two in one season could be challenging but if you can pull it off, then go for it!

Boys are different than girls and since he is into sports I would encourage that. I think that sports help kids build confidence and stay away from the "bad kids" that are off getting in trouble, experimenting with drugs, etc.

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we do soccer (dads favorite) & baseball (my favorite). I did ask my oldest this year if he wanted to play.

mom of 4 - boy-almost 10,boy -almost 7, girl - 4,boy 16 mo.

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At 8 your Son is old enough to have an opinion, why don't you ask him if 2 sports a year is too much for him? He already showed interest in soccer, what does he think about baseball for this year?

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Well, that depends...how is he doing? With my seven year old daughter, homework is a struggle, so we cut her schedule down to one extra-curricular day per week (gymnastics, so she does not have to practice that daily). She takes a dance class on the weekend, but I cut out the other activities, so we only have one day where she has to be stressed for time with her homework. Her best friend has 3 days of after school activities AND she gets dragged to her brother's practices, too. Homework goes pretty quickly for her, so it is not a problem. She also is available for weekend playdates, so she does have some free time for just fun.

I guess is depends on what you as a family can support (gosh, with 5 kids, I would limit activities, too!) and what your son can sustain considering his school schedule. Good luck with your decision!

I would let him try both if it is what your son wants and the schedules do not overlap.
We have a one activity at a time rule. If they want to try something new, they have to drop the current activity. This keeps us from being overscheduled and me from driving 5 different places a day.
You may look into having him try new sports through parks and rec as they run shorter programs than leagues do.

I agree with many of the other responses regarding one sport per season. I also wanted to suggest that the local parks and rec might have opportunities for your son to try a sport before getting fully involved. I know our local parks and rec runs 8 week class and many of them involve sports. I also think that your son should be involved in the decision and understand your concerns about him fulfilling his other committments. Good luck

If he is keeping up his grades and you can afford it financially, I don't see any reason why he couldn't so baseball AND soccer. When soccer ends there's a good break in between then baseball starts up just in time to give him something to do in the spring! My 8 yo does both and enjoys both. We do have a "One sport/activity at a TIME" rule. But only one per year, I'm not sure about that one. BTW the sports really do allow time for all of those things you mentioned, friends, being a kid - they have a blast out there! And our whole fam-damily goes to the practices and games so it's all about that too! But hey, you have to do what you feel is best for YOUR family and what you can manage - with 5 kids - I don't blame you if you can't manage more than 1 sport per year/per child!! :-)

As with many of the responders, I agree that one sport per season makes sense. Part of playing sports is being able to spend time with friends and its part of being a kid! If your son is the one who wants to try soccer, then let him. If its too much for him after one season, he'll let you know. Its always good for kids to have new experiences so they know what they like and don't like.

Hi-

In our house our son participates in one sport per season, ans we don't force him to participate in a sport he's not interested in. I really wanted him to play baseball and flag football, but he just wasn't interested. My son lives for soccer so that is the longest season, and then he plays intermurals at his school, or at the local YMCA. I don't think there is a Y in Hemet but Parks & Rec probably will have one. I have found that those places have shorter seasons and practices are shorter, or only one day a week.

Good luck!

I would let him play as many sports as he wishes. Sports are extremely beneficial in a kid's life. I grew up playing sports year round-volleyball, then basketball and club volleyball the same time. It kept me out of trouble for a long time and actually kept me very healthy and fit. I still live an active lifestyle til today. I also developed a love for volleyball-which actually kept my grades up because the school i was attending wouldnt allow you to play unless your grades were above a certain grade point average. I still had lots of time to be a kid, to do schoolwork, and enjoy family/friends. Go for it!

It seems that 1 sport per year will really limit him from trying anything new. 1 Sport a year translates into 1 sport forever, unless he is going to do a different sport every year but what's the point of that he would never get good at any of them.
I agree with the others who have said "why not" as long as they don't overlap.

Maybe others have had better luck with soccer leagues, but we had some we bad experiences with the ones in our city. I love the parks sports program, the soccer games are only 1 hr each Saturday, usally inside they play, they kids have fun instead of competing, they do keep score, and get a trophy, practice is only an hour a week after school. Its simple and doesn't seem to take up kids homework or studing time, You have to ask your self is your son doing well in school ? is he getting enough sleep, is he grouchy from not getting enough sleep, does he have down time to just sit and relax.. << which is important to. Is he a good loser when his time doesn't win. He is only 8 yrs old, his little body is in his prime growing years, keeping him healthy is important right now, you decide if he is getting all he needs

i would let him try both sports. if his dad insists he plays one sport and your son wants to both sports let him try. if you see him struggling in school work in the fall then suggest that maybe he should skip the rest of soccer. however if he seems to o fine playing baseball and balancing school what would the difference be in the fall with soccer. but its your choice. good luck!

I think one sport at a time is reasonable. My son played baseball in the spring and soccer in the fall for seven years before deciding baseball wasn't for him. I know kids who play multiple sports at one time - and that's just crazy! Good luck!

Why so strict? How about making it one sport per season? Soccer is fall, baseball is spring. He's a boy and needs that outlet. If you keep it so strict he may rebel when he's older. I kind of have a rule about one activity at a time, but that means for my girls, soccer in fall, gymnastics or something else in spring, etc. That way they have something going on all the time, but each week it's only one or two practices per week. They do need their down time, but at the same time, it's nice to have one activity going at all times so they don't get bored. They have plenty of homework, but they also need exercise.

I have three kids. They all play(ed) sports year round. Our rule was only one sport at a time. For the boys it was Football in the fall, Basketball in the Winter, Baseball in the spring. My daughter plays volleyball year round. As they got older (jr.high school) I found that it was better to be playing a sport because it kept them from getting bored and hanging around other bored teens that eventually get into mischief out of that boredom. My "kids" are now 15, 20 and 22.

It is a personal decision, but I would say one sport at a time, or one sport per season. If you do one sport per year, then he may want to do soccer one year and baseball the other. There wouldn't be a whole lot of consistencey there and it dosen't give him the opportunity to get good at either one if he has to drop one for the other. I don't know, if you think that the sports he partcipates in are too rigid, and don't allow him to "be a kid", then you should find another sport or group/team. Kids love being active. My father, an avid soccer fan, who played as a child and teen and then again from age 30 - 50 on an adult league in Los Angeles said there is nothing more exciting than playing soccer as a young child. Don't let him miss out, if he can manage it, then let him try. It sounds like you have a lot going on in your life, 5 kids, work, school and that you have many different interests. Let him have a lot too. You never want to hear him say, "I always wanted to play soccer, but you wouldn't let me!"

My policy with my son, also 8.5, is one sport at a time. Occasionally they overlap a little and we deal with it. I think that keeping kids active and part of a team is very important. Right now is the time when he can still try new things and the kids aren't so advanced that he would be behind.
I say expose him to as much as possible while he is young.

Before this year, when we started home schooling, we did one sport per season + gymnastics year round. So....swimming in the summer, soccer in the fall, just gymnastics in the winter, baseball in the spring.

Now that we're homeschooling we do swimming & gymnastics & aikido year round...plus the "seasonal" sports, and we'll probably toss in sailing this summer. Plus, of course, his outside classes (3). He also skateboards, bikes, etc.

Now, we have only one child (I see you have five), and we homeschool (have I mentioned that about 10,000 times already yet?)...so his sports are times for him to just be a kid with other kids, and to have time to interact with those kids and adults without mum & dad around. Super important. In any event, here's my yardstick:

1) Does he have a huge grin on his face the whole time?
2) Do I actually WANT to take him there?

If EITHER of those are answered "no" we phase it out. I'm in school, too, and there are quarters where I can do my HW in the car, and quarters where I Just. Don't. Want. To. Leave. The. House. for anything short of a fire, because I've FINALLY gotten time to clean the darn kitchen, but it's time to get in the car for "x". If I find myself loathing "x", we either tweak the schedule or drop "x".

As a kid in a large family, there were years where we each got to choose ONE activity, and years where we each got to choose TWO. It was a question of $ and my mum's sanity. The deal, once we were old enough to complain, was that we could do as many things as we liked, if we paid for it and had transportation to and from. So in HS, we all took advantage of the school sports/activities (swim team, drama, etc.). Prior to that, in middle school, I became a working student at a racing barn in Del Mar, in large part because I could cut through the canyon preserve and walk it in under an hour. We also knew that if we were whining about something special that was given to us ( as in "but I wanna do thaaat toooooo", what we already had would be taken away out of ungratefulness.

In any event, in my humble opinion, I think what works...is what works for your family. We all have different needs and tolerance levels.

:) Good Luck!

I have to be honest, I was a little taken back by your "one sport a year" who came up with that? I have an 8 yr old and he plays 3 sports each year and he loves it. It keeps him active, happy and focused. He not only gets to play with his friends it is also great bonding time for the whole family. He is also a good student and always receives the Good Citizen award at his school. It seems to me you are trying to spite his Dad and only your son will lose in that situation.

We have a rule that our kids can only be in ONE sport at any given TIME, but they can play more than one per year. Our two sons have always played AYSO soccer in the fall, and Little League baseball in the spring (which really starts in Feb., and with playoffs goes almost all the way thru June, a much bigger committment than soccer). At least that way we have no overlap. I have seen families trying to squeeze in an extra sport in between like basketball, and it gets really crazy that way, and the kids sometimes have game conflicts, which I feel is unfair to the rest of their team.
And I agree with you, they should have time for school, friends, being a kid, and for us, we also want them to be able to play an instrument because they (and we) love music.
If sports are their passion, let them play more than one per year! That's where they will most likely make their closest friends anyway, because they share the same interest.
Also, if I can weigh in here on something a little off topic. It's GOOD for their BODIES to play more than one sport, becuase it's like cross training. They use different muscles and tend not to get injured as much later on as kids who only focused on one sport year round, and get injuries due to overuse and the same repetitive motions. Baseball is really hard on the back, shoulders, elbows, and arms. Soccer is hard on the ankles, KNEES (all that start/stop running), and shins. So I feel better that my kids are playing both for a little while each year, keeping all their body in shape, and not overusing those body parts all year long.
Another sport you might want to consider in the summer for fun is surfing, if you live near the beach. It's a full body workout and uses practically ALL the muscles, and is really healthy and fun! This is not a commercial for our business, but we do teach surfing if you are interested, although I recommend waiting until your kids are at least 9 or 10 to start, and strong swimmers.
www.alivesurfing.com
T.

I've been a true "soccer mom" for about 4 years now. AYSO's regular season begins in August with practice only and games begin in September. The time commitment depends on your son's age and his coach but is usually one - one hour practice per week plus a one hour game every weekend and stays local. I don't like to overextend my children's activities either, but sometimes as parents we need to expose them to several things in an attempt to allow them to find their passion. At one time, my 9 year old was doing Karate on Mondays, tennis on Wednesday and Soccer on Friday and games on Saturday. I'll admit this was a crazy schedule but after a few months, he decided to drop Karate as it wasn't his favorite. When Tennis ended, he said "let's take a break from that too" and now it's all about soccer and school. He's found his passion! Good luck to you.

let your son make the decision if he wants to do both or just one