The youth-sports parent's field guide
By Steph Romano · 81 posts in 5 sections
Every season, from sign-up to last whistle.
An honest look at the best sports for 5 year olds — soccer, t-ball, swim lessons and more — with what each season really asks of your kid, and of you.
By Steph Romano · 7 min read
Sport by season. Find the sport, read across to the season you are in.
Sign-ups close in the summer.
Sign-ups close in the fall.
Sign-ups close while it's still cold out.
Swim team and camps, usually registered in spring.
15 of 81 posts are on the board. A post goes up only when it names both the sport and the season. The rest are filed by section below.
The sign-up notes come from Youth Sports Sign-Up Season: What to Do and When
Newest first
Read these first
Picked by hand, not by a traffic count.
Which sport, at what age, and what that first season really looks like — honest starting guides for parents new to youth sports.
All 13 posts →
Sizing charts and buy-once gear guides: cleats that fit, gloves that close, balls by age — what to buy, what to skip, no guesswork.
All 19 posts →8 charts
| Age / level | Glove size |
|---|---|
| 3–4 (t-ball intro) | 8.5"–9.5" |
| 5–6 (t-ball / coach pitch) | 9.5"–10.5" |
| 7–8 (coach pitch / machine) | 10"–11" |
| 9–10 (10U) | 10.75"–11.5" |
| 11–12 (12U) | 11"–12" |
| Youth softball, 8–12 | 10.5"–12.5" |
The first 2 of the chart's 3 columns. The post has the rest, and the fit test.
Sideline culture for sports parents: game-day etiquette, cheering that helps, the sideline kit, and surviving the sibling in tow.
All 33 posts →Should a young athlete nap before an evening game? For most kids six and up, no. What to do with the afternoon instead, and how to handle the five-year-old.
The kid inside the jersey: playing time, wanting to quit, talking to coaches, and keeping sports fun past the first season.
Ten-minute driveway and backyard practice ideas that build skills without a coaching license or a single lecture.
