Eager to sign up your kindergartener for town sports? This is the first year boys and girls can play on a team in house soccer, tee ball, softball and ice hockey. You can start basketball in town with a Kinder Hoops class at the Darien YMCA, but team play won’t start until next year. Interested in lacrosse, field hockey or flag football? These house programs start in first grade.

Soccer

The Darien Soccer Association runs the house soccer programming for kindergarteners. Fall is the main season for soccer, and this will be your kindergartener’s first chance to play a team sport in Darien. Kindergarten soccer generally starts during the first or second week of the school year. You can expect one-hour practices on Fridays and games on Saturday mornings for boys and Saturday afternoons 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 is also an option.

Tee Ball

Boys and girls can play on a spring tee ball team through the Darien Little League. They will be placed on parent-coached teams and meet at various times on Saturdays for sessions that include 30 mins of practice and 30 minutes of game play. 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 through March.

Softball

Darien Little League’s spring softball is open to kindergarten girls (who could alternately play tee ball baseball). Professional coaches teach basic skills – hitting off a tee, throwing and catching – on Saturday mornings at the Town Hall diamonds starting in late April. Look for registration beginning in December through March.

Ice Hockey

You’ll find your child’s first hockey team at Stamford Twin Rinks through the Darien Youth Hockey Association. Kindergarteners have two options. Those that are 6 years old and know how to skate can join a Mighty Mites team, which has a professionally coached weekday practice and a parent-coached weekend game. Five year old kindergarteners can join the Mini Mites. While kids should already know how to skate, this will help boost their skating and stick skills through pro-coached, station-based sessions on Saturdays and Sundays. The youth hockey season runs from mid-October through early March. Registration usually starts in mid-March and programs usually to fill up.

Kinder Hoops

The Darien YMCA runs the Darien house basketball program, which hosts team play in the winter and classes and camps year round. Boys and girls will be put on teams in first grade, but kindergarteners start with a Kinder Hoops co-ed weekly class format that fills up quickly. Look for registration to start in late September, and classes to begin in late November. The class aims to teach fundamentals, sportsmanship and teamwork through fun games.  

Beyond these team experiences, you’ll find many other sports classes for kindergarteners in our directory.