Sports/Activities for 3 year-olds?

[slamont61]

Swimming or Soccer, at that age. Soccer is a relative term as what they do is such a funny to watch organized chaos activity. Hey, gotta start somewhere.

[ctkalino]

I have a 3-year and have found that many activities start at age 4. You might be able to find a soccer class for 3 year olds, but it also probably requires parent involvement. Your best bets are gymnastics or swimming. My 3-year old has taken gymnastics at Gymkhana in Point Breeze and it is kind of $$ but great. He loved it. He has also taken swimming lessons at the JCC in Squirrel Hill. I would recommend checking out the JCC Program Guide...they do offer other activities for 3-year-olds but I always found the times challenging because I work full-time and many of them are during the day. You have to be a member though, which may not make sense unless you are going to take advantage of other services they offer (adult fitness center, indoor pool open swim, open gyms, etc.).

[XRiteMA98]

Originally Posted by slamont61

Swimming or Soccer, at that age. Soccer is a relative term as what they do is such a funny to watch organized chaos activity. Hey, gotta start somewhere.

I agree with your soccer comments but not with the swimming one. We all come to this world knowing how to swim. Babies born under water swim. So my point is the earliest in life one starts the swiming the better it is. YMCA has programs for babies too, where the parents go in water with them, play, have games, things like these.

[Sealtite]

Originally Posted by luabear

Hi Everyone-
My daughter will be 3 this summer and we are looking to get her into some activities. We'd like anything involving movement (always good to tire her out!) like sports (soccer, etc.), but are open to anything, really. We are not looking for competitive teams or anything. Just somewhere where she can get some exercise and maybe learn a few new skills while having fun.

As a parent, it's never too early to cash in on the fact that your child also doubles as your own personal slave until he or she turns 18. If you feel that she's old enough to play soccer, she's certainly old enough to start taking out the trash or at least load the dishwasher after dinner. Indoctrinating her at this age to a life of serving you would be a wise move on your part, as she'll be less likely to rebel against your wishes later on. If you start her on house chores now, she'll be mowing your lawn, walking the family dog, and polishing the wheels on your car with a toothbrush by the time she's five.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Sealtite

As a parent, it's never too early to cash in on the fact that your child also doubles as your own personal slave until he or she turns 18. If you feel that she's old enough to play soccer, she's certainly old enough to start taking out the trash or at least load the dishwasher after dinner. Indoctrinating her at this age to a life of serving you would be a wise move on your part, as she'll be less likely to rebel against your wishes later on. If you start her on house chores now, she'll be mowing your lawn, walking the family dog, and polishing the wheels on your car with a toothbrush by the time she's five.

That's sarcasm, right?

[Sealtite]

Originally Posted by Hopes

That's sarcasm, right?

Huh? No way.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Sealtite

Huh? No way.

You're still being sarcastic, right?

[Sealtite]

Originally Posted by Hopes

You're still being sarcastic, right?

Why would I be sarcastic about a child doing simple chores around the house? If the child is physically capable of playing a recreational sport like soccer, certainly they'd be capable of other, more useful tasks. At that age, they wouldn't know the difference between work and play anyway, so with a little creativity the parents could have the child do just about anything.

A case in point would be my own personal experience as a child. I grew up in a rather large house with two fireplaces. One was upstairs, and one was downstairs. They shared the same chimney, which had become rather filthy over the years. My parents tried unsuccessfully to find someone who could / would clean it out for them properly. All of the chimney sweeps that they contacted told them that the chimney could not be cleaned because it was an obsolete and unconventional design, as it curved at one point and had two flues. Running out of options, my parents enlisted me to the task of cleaning the chimney. I was four years old.

It was the middle of July. As all children do, I loved Santa Claus and everything about Christmas. My parents told me that Santa had written them a letter complaining about the filth in the Chimney. They told me that Santa promised a special "Summer Christmas" to a certain little boy, if he would be so kind as to clean out the chimney so that it would be clean for him come next December. My parents gave me a little red velvet bag that they claimed Santa had sent them, along with the letter. It contained a toothbrush, some rags, a little wire brush with a strap that goes on the back of your hand, a flashlight, and a paper dust mask. Eagerly, I climbed into the fireplace and began working my way up the chimney. I supported myself with my back and my feet as I slowly climbed, scrubbing each brick relentlessly until it was spotless and shiny. Two days later, I emerged from the fireplace covered in soot, dehydrated, and hallucinating from lack of sleep and exhaustion. The fireplace was clean! My parents were thrilled, and just as Santa had promised, there stood a small Christmas tree in the living room with three gifts awaiting me beneath it. For my toils I was awarded with a bag of Army men, a packet of Twizzlers licorice, and a brand new empty gasoline can. The last gift perplexed me, until my father told me that it was for the gasoline that I'd be using from then on to power the push-lawnmower that I'd use to mow our four-acre lawn twice a week.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Sealtite

Why would I be sarcastic about a child doing simple chores around the house? If the child is physically capable of playing a recreational sport like soccer, certainly they'd be capable of other, more useful task.

Clearly, you know nothing about children. You recommended the OP's 2.5 year old take out garbage and load the dishwasher. A 2.5 year old is a TODDLER. A kitchen bag of garbage is more than three times bigger than a 2.5 year old. They call them toddlers because they toddle. She can certainly toddle around a field aimlessly kicking a soccer ball and not be physically capable of the things you recommended.

If you feel that she's old enough to play soccer, she's certainly old enough to start taking out the trash or at least load the dishwasher after dinner.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Clearly, you know nothing about children. You recommended the OP's 2.5 year old take out garbage and load the dishwasher. A 2.5 year old is a TODDLER. A kitchen bag of garbage is more than three times bigger than a 2.5 year old. They call them toddlers because they toddle. She can certainly toddle around a field aimlessly kicking a soccer ball and not be physically capable of the things you recommended.

All true, but read the rest of that post, clearly being sarcastic.