WWYD?

Shmogan09

 I want to put DS in soccer but am in a dilemma. The classes are either 2-3 or 4-6, he is 3 1/2.  Sometimes he gets frustrated while doing things with younger kids so I worry that he will have a hard time in the younger class. I mean, as you know 2 year olds and 3 year olds are in a different world developmentally. They said he could do the 4-6 class but am I setting him up for failure knowing he probably won't be able to do as well as the older kids? I am worried he will feel bad about himself if he can't keep up.

ridesbuttons

2-3 for sure.

The difference I've seen in the 4-6 range compared to the 3 year olds is HUGE.

My (nearly) 5 year old plays in the 4-6 (called U6 here) group.  They have complete structure for the entire hour.  No parent 'help' or interference. 

My 3.5 year old plays in the 2-3 group.  It is drills and fun with some structure but parent involvement. 

You know your kid best, but seeing the difference with mine, I would never consider putting my 3.5 year old with the 6 year olds to play soccer.

KL777

I would stick with the age guidelines.  He's 3.5 but he's still 3.

smilejenn

Definitely stick with his official age group. I don't think a three year could keep up with a 4-6 year old team. And it may be frustrating to to the coach and players to work around a younger child.

Also, most sport programs would not allow you to bump up into the next age group voluntarily if his birthday doesn't qualify him for it.

capulet

Yeah, I would have him stick with the 2-3 year olds.  DD just did a learn to play workshop for soccer and t-ball with 2-4 year olds, and she was one of the oldest kids, but at that point it's more about learning the basic rules and skills than real teamwork in a more mature sense.  She's usually one of the youngest kids in her peer group, so it was kind of a relief to me that she was the oldest for once, especially in sports, which I think will be more challenging for her than school.  It's important to me that she is able to build her confidence so she doesn't end up with the sort of anxiety about physical activity that I did as a kid.  I would think the interactions between kids would be more important as they get older, and that there would be a huge difference between 3 and 6 in that environment - the older kids might get frustrated with your DS, as you're worried he would with younger kids.

Sawyerplus1

I would definitely say the 2-3 age group. I would argue that the developmental 'gap' between 3 and 4-6 is MUCH larger than between 2 and 3. And your DS is still 3, after all. Who knows? The 2-3 age group could be mostly 3 year olds like your DS and he'll fit right in and do well there. And if that's not the case and he struggles with the younger kids, it could be a good lesson for him in dealing with certain people/situations that are difficult/frustrating. 

AgrippaRidesAgain

Sawyerplus1:

I would definitely say the 2-3 age group. I would argue that the developmental 'gap' between 3 and 4-6 is MUCH larger than between 2 and 3. And your DS is still 3, after all. Who knows? The 2-3 age group could be mostly 3 year olds like your DS and he'll fit right in and do well there. And if that's not the case and he struggles with the younger kids, it could be a good lesson for him in dealing with certain people/situations that are difficult/frustrating. 

This.  I think it's unlikely that there will be a ton of 2 year olds there.  However, I could easily see a lot of 5 and 6 year olds in the older group, which is a HUGE difference developmentally.