Soccer for 4Yr Olds,

The deal I made with my kids was this:
I will sign you up and pay for you to go. You will attend every practice and every game. At the end of the season, you can decide if you want to play again or do something else.
I was firm and consistent. They never quit anything, but there were many things they only did once.

I signed my 3 and 5 year old up for a program called soccer shots. No need for any soccer stuff, just shorts and shoes. My kids love it. It's about building confidence and teaching the basics. No games.

I'd start there.

If she loves to play at home I am sure she will like it if you sign her up. At 4 they just practice moving the ball around with their feet while playing fun games.

I signed my 1st son up for soccer when he was 5ish but he never played at home. He was not sporty, but we tried anyway. Ha that was funny. He stood in the middle of the field pretending he was swinging his pretend lightsaber as the group of kids and the ball kept running past him. We learned that soccer was not his thing. I signed my other son up at 3 because we already knew he liked sports and he loved soccer.

My son started soccer a few months after he turned 4. He had lots of friends who started the same year, mostly boys but a few girls (about 15 kids total from his playgroup). They all loved it and played again the next year. Most of them do a casual summer league too, just for fun.

At age four, soccer is just about fun and learning the basics of the game. Very few of the kids have any real talent (a couple do!) but it's great for them to be out in the fresh air and running around. It's also a great way to make friends.

You can probably get cleats and shin guards used. See if you have a sports resale store (here we have a chain called Play It Again Sports) or else look on craigslist. Since most of these things don't get used for more than a season or two, they're still in good shape, but a lot less expensive than getting them new.

If she loves it at home, there's no reason to think she wouldn't love being on a team. Go for it. : )

My son just turned four. We did Tball this past spring. It was not a good match for him, because he likes a lot of action. There was a lot of standing around, and that frustrated him. With that said, he LOVED going and being around all the kids and meeting new people. He did finish out the season, even though he was a bit over the games. However, I don't regret doing it, because despite the difficulty...it was a good experience.

Here's what I learned, NO ONE expects a 4 year old to be stellar at this. There was a lot of laughter, chasing around, shaking our heads, and some frustration. Watching little ones chase each other around, go the wrong way, look confused, was hilarious!!! I thought it was worth it. I think it was a good stepping stone to another sport. He learned all the structure of going to practices and games, and that will help prepare him for his first season of soccer!

Just try it and see.

They will pick flowers, play in the dirt, chase the ball, and occasionally make a goal and be totally shocked when everyone explodes in applause.

Don't look at it like it's playing a sport, look at it like she's taking a class learning about sportsmanship and team work. Then you'll not be disappointed. She should learn to share the ball with her teammates, to kick the ball and not miss most of the time, and to listen a little bit better to adults. It's mostly for fun and not at all for actually being a successful player.

My grandson played and his coach was the first one I'd ever seen that made the kids play a whole quarter. That was too much for him. If that's too much for her too then tell the coach to let her play a couple of minutes in the first half then a couple more in the 2nd half. If that is something they'll go along with she'll enjoy it more.

She may also be one of those kids who take to it and love every minute on the field.

Soccer for 4 year olds is pretty low key. Usually 1 practice per week/1 game per week. Here games are Saturdays. That's for AYSO in our area. Everyone is assigned snacks for one game. There is usually an end of the year party. You are expected to help pickup/ set up the field sometimes. I don't see you spending all day there unless you have multiple children playing. I think she'd like it. Maybe try to sign her up to be on the same team as a friend. That may help.

Some places will let them do a class or two to see how it goes. For my son, we make him finish what he starts, but we will not resign him if he does not like it.

We did little kickers when my son was very young, it was too overwhelming for him there were six classes in one huge room, all he wanted to do was run. He was two at the time.

Ah, 4 yr old soccer. Be prepared for quite the treat. :)

Our now 5.5 yr old did soccer at the local rec for about 6 weeks when he was 4 (turned 4 about 2 weeks into the season). Most of the kids that age all followed the ball like a great big mob. Seriously....imagine a bunch of kids in a group running back and forth with the ball for the entire 45 minutes.

There were a few kids that were really good at soccer who could actually get the ball down the field, but most of the kids had very little technique (which I would expect that to be typical of the age group).

Our son spent more time chasing his friend at the opposite end of the where the ball was for most of the game. I think he actually touched the soccer ball about 3 times the entire season and only because the ball just happened to run into him.

Now, I say this all with great humor... It was good exercise for our child and he had a lot of fun seeing other kids his age, but it was nothing like the soccer games that you see at a slightly older age.

I would not spend a huge amount on this endeavor, but if the price is somewhat reasonable and you think your daughter will enjoy it, then go for it.

(oh, and for the record, we decided NOT to do soccer the following year. We may consider it again this fall, since our son is a little older now). :)

At four she doesn't really "know" what she wants, and she has no idea what she's saying yes to.
If you can spare the money, go for it, she may love it.
If not, don't make her go, and wait a few years before trying again. "Following through with a commitment" is a term that gets thrown around a lot on this site, but a four year old has no concept of what that means. An eight or nine year old? Yes, and THAT's when organized sports traditionally started, before the current parenting and sports marketing craze kicked in.
I didn't start my daughter in soccer until she was seven and she played many years, through 8th grade, and by then she was burned out.

I did a community center thing with my son at that age. They did "drills" and kicked the ball around, but it wasn't organized into playing actual games. More just an intro into it. He liked it. because it wasn't an actual game they were ALL constantly doing something.

Unless your child is very very shy around other kids, I wouldn't worry. 4 year old soccer is basically a small mob of kids chasing each and a ball around the field. What kid doesn't like to do that?

My son is on the non-agressive/shy end of the spectrum, and he didn't jump into the middle of the mob. He stayed a bit on the outside of the mob, but even he still had fun and enjoyed running around with the others.

Speaking from recent experience, let me say this:
Kids have NO IDEA what they are getting into when they agree to do a sport in any organized fashion.

I'd go for a low-cost parks and rec program, personally. We did this with our 6 year old; he attended a one week soccer camp. (which he did say he wanted to go to, by the way, but he had NO idea what was in store for him.) He didn't really like it all that much, but finished the week without a lot of complaining and has stated that he doesn't want to do it again. He missed the last day-- we already had a family trip planned- so didn't play in any organized fashion, but he's proud that he stuck with it. I'm not sure a four year old would be as tenacious, which is why I suggest finding a short, low-cost option to start.

ETA: Ha, Melissa, you crack me up. Mine was swinging in circles around the goalpost while everyone else was kicking balls around when I came to pick him up. Totally not his thing, but good for trying!

My 3.5 year old did the kinderkick program this spring and she LOVED it. It's for kids aged 3-5 (pre Kindergarten) so there was a really wide range of abilities on every team. We had one kid who was 5 and loved soccer and would just take the ball and run in down to the goal almost every time. The coach worked really h*** o* getting him to pass to his teammates and by the end he was doing great! On the opposite end of the spectrum there was a 3.5 year old boy who would sit and pick grass and watch butterflies. His parents thought it was funny. Every now and then he'd get in there and play. My daughter wanted to do it sooo bad bc she always watches her older brother's soccer games and she wants to be like him. She was super enthusiastic and did really well. She got a handful of goals in games. She didn't take it personally when losing but at first she would get really frustrated when another kid would take "her" ball. She really really wanted to make goals. I think it was a great experience for her and we'll have to do it again in the fall.

I have mixed feelings on this. Some kids are ok with this while others, age 4 is just too young. Kids that young really aren't ready for organized team sports (I do realize there MAY be exceptions). I also think that starting kids too early and/or pushing them too hard can do more harm and discourage love of a sport by taking the fun out of it.

Here's my experiences:

My son was 4.5 when we moved and he had missed soccer sign up (he had never expressed an interest yet) so when he started K and his new bf was playing he wanted to play. It was too late for that season. But, at age 5 he started wrestling, then t-ball, and later soccer. He continued all through 9th grade (taking his 7 & 8th grade years off from soccer and trying football), then he simply dropped baseball and continued w/ soccer and wrestling. They were great fits for him. Our rule was ALWAYS that he didn't have to sign up for ANYTHING but once he was signed up for it (whether it was for the month, the season, or the year) he was committed for that time frame...if he didn't like it he would not have to sign up ever again. He became an Eagle Scout too.

My daughter is 6.5 right now. She has never expressed an interest in signing up for sports (even when asked) but is very active. We did sign her up for a "sport skills" camp that was for 3-5 year olds for hand eye coordination (nothing too structured...just fun). She also did two separate summers (1 x per week) of different fun-themed dances (age 4.5 & 5.5). She enjoyed it but didn't want to sign up again (until the next summer). She enjoys singing and signing w/ a few other kids at church (they only practice for a few weeks then perform and then take a break for a few months). She did want to sign up for Daisies this past fall and has already asked to sign up for this year. She's not ready to participate in "organized sports" but is more than ready for a variety of experiences.

My nephew is the same age as my daughter and my sister signed him up for winter soccer the very first year he was eligible (age 3). I watched a game halfway through the season, only one or two kids on the whole field really seemed to be into the game and actually trying to play. The coaches and parents that were helping had to keep reminding the kids to go after the ball. I think they should have maybe focused on soccer skills rather than having teams and playing games.

You know your daughter best so if you think she is ready, sign her up. I suggest before you do, you and her dad get on the same page about completing the season if she wants to sign up.

**For those that say this age doesn't know what following through on a committment means, they are right. That's what us parents are for...they don't know what ANYTHING is until they are taught it (whether it be through observation, reading, a teacher, a parent...however).

I make mine finish anything they start (session). But not after that if they don't want to. We started organized ____@____.com gives exercise and so much more. Love that!

Can she just try it out first.... then see?
Many kid activities, they let you try it out first for "free." To see and gauge your child.
But kids are fickle.
Each day varies.

Per soccer, also know that the parents also have to be willing to put in the time for it...ie: weekends/games etc. I know some parents, that are at the soccer field, every weekend, all day. For games. And, there are the potlucks/food thing that these parents have to do too, each game. Each weekend. This is for AYSO organization groups.
But that may vary per city.

When my daughter was 5, we signed her up for soccer through our town recreation program. She spent half the time sitting on the sidelines refusing to play with the other kids. She just wasn't used to team sports and being around that many kids. Still, we went every week because once she signed up, she had to go, whether she played or not. In the spring, she wanted to try it again, and this time she was happy running around the field playing sharks & minnows and other games. The difference between the two seasons I think was having more experience with lots of kids in kindergarten. Now that she's 11, she plays town and club soccer almost all year.

I will say that if your daughter is really interested in soccer, it's totally worth it to do club soccer. My daughter's club has 5yo kids really focused and learning real soccer skills---and loving it. It's amazing to watch them and a good coach will teach them the correct moves while still making it fun. Ask about trial classes before you commit. There are many different soccer clubs and different styles of teaching. Some club teams focus on learning skills and strategies in a game, others focus on winning regardless of how.

Another fun thing is to attend a professional women's soccer game.