Ready to play more than soccer and tee ball? First graders can also play lacrosse, flag football, field hockey and basketball through Darien’s town sports leagues, along with all of their kindergarten favorites.
Flag Football
Your first grader can join in the fun of the Darien Junior Football League (DJFL) with 1st grade flag football. The season begins in mid-September and runs on Saturday afternoons from 4-530pm at Hindley School. This fun, instructional first football experience groups players together into different teams each week to play “pick-up” games. Team play starts in second grade. Look for registration to start in April.
Field Hockey
Introduce your first grader to field hockey with Darien Junior Field Hockey’s program. The one-hour weekly sessions typically meet at 11am on Saturday mornings at Darien High School’s varsity baseball turf. High school field hockey players run the clinics along with parent volunteers. Girls are split into groups usually organized by elementary school, and will learn fundamentals and how to work with the stick and ball. Team play starts in third grade. Look for registration from April through June (late fee registration until September). The program typically runs from mid-September through late October.
Lacrosse
First graders can start playing lacrosse with the Blue Wave Buddies program for boys and Blue Wave Buddies for girls, both run by Darien Youth Lacrosse (DYLAX). This fun, skill-building program is a series of clinics run on Saturday evenings (and some Sundays) from late March through May. Both volunteer parent coaches and 8th grade players will help groups of first graders (arranged by elementary school) learn fundamentals through drills. Team play starts in third grade. Registration begins in November.
Basketball
First graders usually love the Darien YMCA’s first grade winter basketball program – Pee Wee Hoops, which is part of the Darien house basketball program. Teams are organized by boys and girls, as well as elementary school, so your child’s team will be filled with familiar faces. The program meets once a week on Saturdays at either Holmes or Royle for one hour. This includes 30 mins of skills taught by professional coaches and 30 minutes of game play where those same coaches teach lots of skills as they go. Parent volunteer coaches are called upon to keep order on the bench and run substitutions. True team play starts in third grade. Look for registration in late September, with the program running from December through March.
Soccer
First grade soccer is roughly the same as kindergarten soccer. Darien Soccer Association runs the K-2 house soccer program. The biggest season for soccer is fall. DSA’s program generally starts during the first or second week of the school year. You can expect one-hour practices on Wednesdays for boys and Thursdays for girls. Games are held midday Saturday for boys and first thing Saturday morning for girls. Practices are run by JA Elite Soccer Academy coaches, and your child’s team will be coached by parents who volunteer. Look for registration starting in the summer, and be sure to sign up before it fills up. If your child has fun in the fall, spring soccer (April – early June) is also an option.
Baseball
First graders play baseball in the A-ball league through the Darien Little League. They will be placed on parent-coached teams that meet at various times on Saturdays for 75 minutes. The sessions start with practice to work on fundamentals and end with a few innings of a game and a relay race. This year, coaches will pitch to batters and bring out the tee only when needed. The program starts after April break with a skills jamboree led by Darien’s high school players and a baseball parade, which ends with an opening day ceremony at McGuane Park where they’ll throw the season’s first pitch. Look for registration to start in December and run through March. If your first grader enjoys baseball, you can also play house summer ball from June to August with games on Saturday and no practices, and fall ball, a 7-week practice-free program of Saturday games (and possibly some Sundays).
If your child turns 8 during the year that they are in first grade, they can try out for travel soccer during the spring of first grade. This will be for the team that will play the following fall and spring – your child’s second grade year.
Softball
Darien Little League’s spring softball for first graders is the A-league. This instructional league aims to teach girls fundamentals while having fun. Coaches pitch to batters, or bring out the tee when necessary. Toward the end of the season they play some simulated games without scores. Teams usually meet on Saturday mornings at the Town Hall diamonds starting in late April for 75-minute sessions. Look for registration beginning in December through March.
Ice Hockey
Even if you didn’t do hockey in kindergarten, there’s still time to give it a try at Stamford Twin Rinks through the Darien Youth Hockey Association. That being said, your child will already need to know how to skate. Those that are 6 years old can join a Mighty Mites team, which has a professionally coached weekday practice and a parent-coached weekend game. This would be the easier option to secure a spot as a new player. Mighty Mites typically practice with professional coaches on Friday afternoons and play parent-coached games on Saturdays at 7:30am or 8:30am. Older first graders could play on a Mites team (for 7 and 8 year olds), but you will likely have to register for a waitlist spot and may not get into this well-loved house hockey program. Mites have professionally coached Friday evening practices and parent-coached games on Saturdays at 6:30am or 7am. The youth hockey season runs from mid-October through early March. Registration usually starts in mid-March and April (depending on the age group) and programs usually fill up.
During your child’s first grade year, they will also have the opportunity to try out for the following season’s travel team (which they would play on in second grade). Girls can also try out for Ice Cats Travel Hockey, which is a girls only program. These tryouts are typically held in March.
Looking for more sports programs for first graders? Search our directory.