The Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation (DSPR) is providing a new program, First Steps, that targets younger athletes ages 3-5. The department believes that early preparation and instruction will benefit young athletes as they learn, grow and build the necessary fundamental skills for any sport. Give your child a head start on lifelong fitness.
First Steps Athletic Program will keep the child’s age, maturity and abilities in mind. It will introduce four sports to ages 3-5: tee ball, basketball, soccer and running. These sports allow for early development of motor skills and the concept of teamwork, while learning about fitness. The program will operate for 10-weeks, three days per week for 1.5 hours at multiple facilities.
Rudy Krieger Complex – Soccer/ Running/ Basketball
D.C. Canegata Ballpark – Tee Ball and Basketball
Renholdt Jackson Complex – Tee Ball and Basketball
Isaac Boynes Ballpark – Running/ Basketball/ Tee Ball
All games and activities will encompass hand-eye coordination, balance, agility and movement – all key factors to the early development of children in sports. Learning new skills builds confidence. By the time kids are 3 to 5 years old, their physical skills, like running, jumping, kicking and throwing, have come a long way. Now they will continue to refine these skills and build on them to learn more complex ones.
The goal of the program is to get children excited about the game and motivate them to continue playing as they grow older.
Registration is open and will continue until Oct. 18. Registration is free and applications can be picked up at any of the above listed sites or at the Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation’s main office in William D. Roebuck Industrial Park.