As Noah is approaching 3 years old, I am trying to fill our days together with various activities. Especially as the weather gets cooler, finding things for us to do becomes limited. Toddlers have a lot of energy and I am trying to to keep up! He also is at the stage where he enjoys trying new things and learning about everything. “Mommy, what’s this?” is on repeat in our house! During the winter, I like him to be in a least one lesson a week and Lil’ Kickers is the perfect fit for a busy toddler. With 19 locations in just Illinois alone, there is a class and location perfect for all families.

The Program

Lil’ Kickers is a national soccer program with 100 locations in 27 states, with a total enrollment of 900,000 kids. It consists of a 50 minute group lesson with an adult (until a certain age) and focuses on child development for children on all levels. Even at 3 years old. The program focuses on helping children build strong physical, intellectual and emotional skills that will help them be successful on and off the soccer field. With each soccer exercise, there will be counting, singing or using their imagination throughout the activity. It’s a lot more than just the soccer skill itself.

They also really encourage parents to participate in the classes, have spirit week during Halloween and other themed events throughout the session. Halloween was our favorite! Lil’ Kickers tries to encourage parent involvement, which I love.

What we love

Another great aspect is the coaches. I loved that all the coaches are extremely encouraging. Always hi fiving, using positive language and Noah loved it! He would call her “coach” even at home and developed a relationship with her over the lessons. She was great and always switching up the activities each week so the players (and parents!) wouldn’t be bored of the same exercises. I found out later that all coaches are trained in child development theory, so they incorporate a developmental perspective when approaching children of all ages. It was obvious our coach was very familiar with the toddler stage and knew how to work with them.

Overall, it’s a very nurturing place and no matter where Noah was at skill wise, it didn’t really matter. He was having fun, it kept him engaged and I saw a difference in his confidence when he was on and off the field.

If you are looking on getting your kids moving this winter, I would highly recommend this for toddlers and parents. We looked forward to it every week and plus, there was always a nice nap for us after 🙂

Registration

Your first class is free, so you can just give it a try! The winter session begins November 26th, 2018. Find more about the schedules and winter registration here.  If you like your free trial class, let the grandparents know! I think it makes a great gift for kids for the holidays.

As always, thanks for following along and if you have any questions about the lessons, let me know!

You can sign up for weekly emails here and follow me on Instagram.

Until next time,

Christine

This post was in partnership with Lil’ Kickers, but all the opinions expressed are my own.