Football ends this week and my 6 yr old son does not want to go back to gymnastics. Any ideas of what he can do over the winter? It's a long time until baseball starts back up. Basketaball does not start until 3rd grade.
Our park district has nothing.
Does he have to have a sport all year long? There are a lot of indoor soccer teams. Wrestling, karate, how about a dance class like hip hop etc. Or some kind of club.
How about letting him have unstructured time as a 6 year old boy. Ride bikes, roller skate, play basketball outside. When it snows, play outside
Do you have a nearby YMCA? Our Y has a lot of good Mighty Mite programs (K-2nd grade) year-round. Most winter activities take place in an indoor gym. This winter, my 7 year old son is taking hockey and tennis. Good luck finding something that works for you and him!
I second the person who said, does he have to have a sport all year long? Winter can be a good time for a break from sports and for a kid to see if there are other things that interest him. There are usually plenty of classes through parks and recreation departments -- have you checked their non-sports options?
If it just must be a sport, think about fencing -- an indoor sport, VERY fast-paced, very competitive, and builds hand-eye coordination and body awareness extremely well. My daughter took a 10-week class and loved it (and the boys in it loved it too). There are fencing schools in many places; there might be one near you but you won't know that if only traditional team sports are on your radar. I also know kids who play indoor tennis in the winter (though that can get expensive if it's only offered at private sports clubs).
But do think through whether he could take a break from sports. He might end up liking an art class, woodworking, kids' drama classes, but he won't know if he doesn't try them.
Wrestling.
Indoor Soccer.
Swimming.
Skating (roller or ice).
Martial arts, indoor soccer or swim lessons.
What about music or art classes? Our community center has a woodworking program for kids that is very popular, do you have something like that? They also have cooking and science classes.
Tennis, Soccer?
We have Jujitzo, basket ball, T-Ball, Gymnastics, and a few others. At our park.
There might be Ball hockey? (it is running. not skating, not sure what age it starts)
Is there a YMCA near you. They usually have some nice programs that are reasonable.
My boys do basketball in the winter, starts in first grade here with two years of instruction and then games start in 3rd grade.
What about tae kwon do or karate? Or a musical instrument? Indoor soccer or lacrosse? Swimming? Skating?
I get that some people don't want their kids involved all year long, but my kids enjoy it. When they don't enjoy something, we fulfill the commitment and leave it alone. My kids are active all year long and we wouldn't have it any other way.
My daughter is taking karate. Do you have indoor soccer near you?
We have casual winter soccer leagues here (though we don't get snow). You could do martial arts, since that's always inside. If you have indoor pools, you could do swimming.
I usually take the winter off from sports. My son (also 6) does soccer in the fall, baseball in the spring and swim team in the summer. It's nice to take a breather and have some free Saturdays.
Do they have hockey for 6 year olds? Either ice or roller would be fun.
Hockey, skating, martial arts, indoor soccer, curling, rock climbing, league bowling or swimming.
I was thinking swimming too
