Swim Lessons & Tee-Ball

Get the parks and rec catalog for mesa, it is called time out. SUmmer classes and swim schedule available online on April 8. I have been taking my kids to all sorts of fun classes since they were six months old. It is great for their socialization, and great for mommies socialization too!
We play tee ball (and now coach pitch) through red mountain american little league. It is great!

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I highly recommend The Little Gym. I take my 20 mo old son there and it is great. Until they are 3 it is a parent child class, that is motor skill development with very basic gymnastics. As they get older it is more gymnastics (they do have all the equipment like beam and bars) Gymnastics is a great way to develop coordination and body control that will relate to other sports well. Also, the Little Gym is non competive and a very nuturing place, I love it. Another thing I love about The Little Gym is when they turn three they offer a Sports class where they learn the basics of a lot of different sports along with gymnastics. Lots of fun(www.thelittlegym.com) (yes, I used to work for The Little Gym and I totally fell in love with their philosophy of how to teach children)
As far as t-ball, I just went to my niece's first t-ball game last night, she is 4. The team was made up of 4 and 5 year olds. It basically was to help the kiddos get the concept of the game, but after watching it, I will probablly wait until my son is at least 5 to put him into t-ball.
Good luck and have fun!

M.,

First-great name=)

I have a 2 1/2 yr old also. I actually started him with swim lessons just before his 1st B-Day. We have done it every summer since. This will be our 3rd summer. He is not swimming yet, but I feel like he has been exposed tot he water and is comfortable with it. My mom had me in the water young as well. I am a great swimmer and even participated on the swim team in HS.

With regard to the other sports...they usually have age requirements. I want my son to be in soccer and I don't think they will even let him until like 6 yrs old. Gymnastics is 3 (generally). But there is no harm playing the psorts with your child now...give them a head start.

Just my 2 cents. Have a good day. A.

I would start swimming now and hold off a year or two on t-ball. I don't know if they take them before 3 and even then she would be one of the youngest. Most leagues won't take my 4 year old until he is 5.

Good Luck!

J.

my sister is a regional director of YMCA. I often volunteer as does my son. Tehy have excellent and very structured progams for kids. if it was my child i think i would start her off with swimming. not jsut for fun but a s prevention because there are so many swimming accidents in this state. . my son, now 17 yrs old, learned to swim when he was 9 months old. it is a lifetime expericence. also i would not push her into any activiteis so youn like tee ball etc unless she wants to do them. it has to be for fun not becuase mommy likes that kind of stuff. I am a volunteer trainer at the high school that my son attends and i see so many kids that are burned out or hate sprots and who otherwise might enjoy them but because the parents push them so hard, they are miserable. i think tee ball arond here starts at 5 yrs old as does soccer. but there are some private gyms that have gymnastics, dancing etc for younger kids. I think that if you join and organization like the YMCA it would be good for both of you. becuase they hav efamily memberships and child care. my nephews started working there in high school and although they have jobs as counsleros at a school for juvenile delinquents, they still go back to the YMCA and volunteer because they have so much fun with the kids.

I say the sooner the better with the swim lessons! My husband and I are having trouble with our kids (7 & 3) because we waited so long. As for the sports, I'd stick with Little Gym and Mommy and Me classes. Really, anything else is just a bunch of kids running around which they do at home. My sons first soccer team had a "just turned" 4 year old. He became disinterested, wouldn't play and stopped showing up. That's fine but on a small team that leaves the rest of the kids at a disadvantage. Just because you start them early with sports doesn't mean that is what is going to keep them interested later on in life. I hope this helps.

I think that it is a great idea to get her started in swimming lessons! I started both of my kids in swimming at 6 months old. At that young of an age it is more of an exploration of the water and getting used to being in the water. But now, my kids are 9 and 4. My 9 yr old can swim very well and my 4 year old can doggie paddle enough to keep his head above water. Swimming is very important to me cause we spend a lot of time at the lake, they use lifejackets of course, but it is reassuring to me that they have a chance if they were to fall in. As for t-ball and other sports, I started both of my kids playing soccer at 4. That is the age that they can start playing. My 9 ry old has been playing ever since. My son did not like soccer and this is his first go at t-ball. So far he likes it, but has also decided that he might want to try soccer again in the fall. My advice would be to play with her a little at home. Kick the ball around or get a t-ball set and play, let her get the feel of things. Then ask her if she would like to play with a team and after a season, make her play the whole season, let her decide if she likes it or would like to try something else. That is what I do, and it has worked well for me. Good luck!

Hi---As far as swim lessons go--START ASAP!!!! I started all 3 of mine as infants. Get them used to the water and learning how to swim as early as possible!! Its way to important. You never know when she'll be around water. As far as t-ball and other sports, probably around 4 yrs old. They have more coordination, better at sharing and making friends, and communication skills are alot better by then. Let her try whatever she wants! Keep her well rounded! Don't ever tell her she can't do anything!!

My daughter has been in swim since she was 2 1/2 mo old, I think with swim the sooner the better. As far as tee ball I think 4 or 5 would be a good age, and if you start her and she doesn't seem to like it then after that season you try something different. The earlier you get them involved in sports they can figure out what they like and dislike and stay active.

Hi M.! I, personally, don't think there is an age that is too early for swim lessons. I wish I'd started my oldest (almost 11) when she was younger as she is behind her peers in knowing how to swim, and water safety was a huge concern for me for a long time. I learned a lot from that, and started my 3 1/2 year old in city swim lessons when she was 9 mths old (in the parent/toddler class). The city swim lessons here are very good, and very inexpensive. I'd definitely look into swim lessons for your kiddo this summer!

As for other activites, I don't think you can scare them off at this age, as it is just fun for them. As long as you don't become the high pressure mama, they have fun! I haven't started my 3 yo yet, but that's because her older sister already has me running! LOL I am considering dance or gymnastics for her next year though. She really wants to play soccer like her sister, but she has to wait a couple more years.

Swim lessons start as early as 6 months old. Most community centers have them durring the summer for really reasonable prices. T-ball and most other sports wont take them until they are 3 years old. However I think kicks 4 kids soccer has a 2 year old class though. Little gym starts kids for the mommy and me class as early as 9 months. I hope this helps a bit.

My son took lessons at Aqua Safe in Scottsdale. I know they are all over the valley. I was very impressed with how they worked with kids and the small classes. I highly recommend this place. Kids love to have fun and play with other kids. Let that always be the main focus and your daughter will do great. Mother of 2

We started swim lessons for our twin girls when they were just under 1 yo. We've done lessons every year since. At first my girls were not too hip with the big body of water, but now they love pools! We're putting in a pool so we'll be doing more intense lessons this summer. It can be a fun experience (or sometimes stressful), but you'll be glad you started at daughter at a young age.

It also depends on your daughter's personality, when you think is a good time to start. Our daughter is resistant to trying new things and her Dad related that to his own personality where as a kid, he didn't want to try things if he wasn't immediately good at them. So in a way we "made her" do activities! But I wouldn't say we were pushy, because we definitely don't expect her to show Olympic potential, or be one of the best kids at something. We have found it beneficial to have our daughter (now 5) participate in activities (she has done swimming, dance, skiing, violin) because as she improves she gets her confidence up and it reflects in her whole life, she is less shy in everything. I think she realises she can try new things and get better if she works on it with a good attitude! I think it helped her to be more confident and ready for Kindergarten.

T-ball- I recommend starting with soccer. T-ball is too slow for little ones and with soccer they can run around the field and have the interaction. I started my 4yo in lilKicker in North Phoenix at 2 1/2 then moved him to city league at 3. now at 4 he is in t-ball and hockey. My 2 yo will start soccer next month. Most city leagues start at 3yrs.

Swimming- get her in. if she is interested and doesnt fight the classes then she is ready. My oldest was to distracted the first time so we waited 6 months. and he started to get the concept. My youngest would scream and only stay in the water for 5 minutes last summer so it would have been a waste for him. but now the oldest can swim and the youngest is showing interest so we will sign him up soon. We did Teacher Lyndas but it was too far now we may try hubbard but it's too expensive so not sure where we will take the little guy. Maybe the Y.

I would just look into age limits for the certain stuff you want her to take part in... In our town the age limit for T Ball is 5 yrs old and I think its because they are not ready for that kind of structure until then. As far as swim lessons i think it starts a little sooner because you can take part in it like a mom and tot day... you have to do some research and see what the age limits are and if it fits your schedule... I hope this helps... Good Luck

I started my son in sports which included indoor and outdoor soccor, t-ball and basketball at the age of 3. He really enjoyed it and it was a way for him to meet other children. He is now 9 and he still enjoys sports. My idea behind getting him started early was to just introduce him to sports so he could decide later on which one he would like to continue. So I don't believe it's too early and I would check in with her from time to time to see if she likes the sports and respect her for the ones she doesn't. Too may parents don't listen to their children and the child eventually hates all sports. It should always be fun for them.

My daughter is the same age as yours. We are signing up for Mommy and Me swimming lessons this summer. Sara has started to show signs of wanting to swim by trying to float in the tub. ;) She loves to throw a soft nerf ball with me, her brother and dad, really anyone who will play catch with her.

I was a single mom with my son. I'm the one who taught him to play basketball, baseball, football and so on. He is quite athletic now. His older step brothers are amazed at how good he is and that I taught him. ;)

I know you can do it! Single mom's are the bomb! They do single handedly that other two parent homes do. YOU GO GIRL!

My son started swim lessons at 9 Months. He loves it and now is almost 3 years old. It is fun for the kid and is life saving. Try Teacher Lynda's swim school ###-###-####.

Hi M.,

I just spoke with a children's swim instructor yesterday and your child is the right age to start lessons. I can recommend the instructor. She is in Peoria. Her name is Julie Roche ###-###-#### ____@____.com She is also lifeguard certified and very, very nice.