How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

My DS is turning 3 and really starting to get into things--he loves swimming and running and I want to expose him to lots of different things....but it all gets so expensive! Any tips?

Re: How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

If you're active on leagues you do get a discount.

I was chairperson in a soccer league & didn't have to pay for my child. Also got dibs on coaches

One thing I was told is never sign up for hockey - way too expensive & a huge commitment.

Re: How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

Soccer is through the school district, so it's really cheap. Ours starts at age 3.

Re: How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

When they're school age, you'll get so many fliers and opportunities that are less expensive than some of the options for preschoolers. The local CYO has a lot of classes. Not sure about ages for different sports but I know there is one that is called sports skills where they get exposed to a few different sports and the basic concepts. You might want to see if you have one like that near you. I know my DS who is 4 would have been able to do it but the schedule was not working for us so it definitely included preschoolers. It's hard when they are preschoolers. My DS loved gymnastics but it is so expensive, I couldn't do it again with him. Our local t-ball & soccer begin at 4 too.

Re: How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

Our town has programs that are very inexpensive. They include everything from archery to horseback riding.

Re: How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

Many schools will also offer after-school or weekend programs -- my stepson has tried karate, baseball, and a few other things. The costs of these programs are pretty small. Plus he gets to socialize with other kids which is worth something too.

Re: How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

Join a Y? I'd like to do that for the whole family so that is our "go to" place to be active and spend time with each other.

Re: How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

Re: How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

I just signed my 5 and 3 yr olds up for swimming through our district. I didn't want to waste money on trying something they may or may not get anything out of it when they were younger.

Re: How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

The Y near us has a summer pee wee sports camp where the kids play a different sport every day - maybe that would work for you.

Re: How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

If you do end up as a hockey family Play it Again Sam is a good place to find gently used sports equipment. My brother used to buy and sell his stuff there. I think they are still in business. Also when the $ was a lot higher against the Canadian $ my parents trecked to Canada to get my brother outfitted with his hockey gear. Then it was less than 1/2 the price of the same stuff in the US and that included gas and one night in a hotel. Of course my brother stopped playing hockey in college (he was scouted but chose a career in finance instead).

Re: How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

My boys do karate year round, football and soccer in the fall, wrestling in the winter and they played lacrosse in the spring but this year are switching to baseball.

Karate is the only thing that's pricey. Everything else is fairly reasonable (and most sports offer a sibling discount. )

Re: How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

Through the town is the best bet! My kids do soccer, baseball/softball, and basketball through the town or PAL and it's pretty inexpensive. They also take Karate at a private gym and it's close to $200 a month, so we are taking a break with that until next school year.

Re: How do you expose your child to different activities/sports without spending a ton?

We have a YMCA in our area where the classes are significantly less $$. Also look into any kind of programs that your township offers. Our township offers a slew of kids activities, sports and programs for ridiculously cheap prices!