Indoor group activities that are NOT sports related, for a barely 5 year old boy?

[AimeeM]

Nico is craving "others" :closedeyes: .

 

He's been cleared medically by his Pulmonary, but we're still waiting for test results and an appointment with the specialist (different specialist) who ordered *those* before we can really "clear" him for sports. Add to that, we've had two local deaths recently on ball fields - boys with known medical conditions, who had been medically cleared :( So mom (here!) doesn't really care about clearance; I'm not comfortable with him in "serious" sports right now :glare: .

 

He hates being outdoors for more than 5 minutes. He doesn't like to be messy (he even finger paints delicately, dipping carefully and then immediately cleaning that finger - and only finger paints when forced into it, lol), and he tires very easily (especially outdoors in the heat).

 

He DOES enjoy math and building (boy, does this kid love building), though not with Legos; he's more of an Archiquest kind of kid :laugh: . He also loves action figures and spider man. If I'm frank, even with all the clearance in the world, he is NOT a sports kind of kid.

 

Not much to go on, eh? I know. I'm reaching. I tried asking this on another forum, but people were suggesting things that ARE sports related (swimming, dance, gymnastics, etc) - some of which *I* would be fine with, but we really need to wait on his next appointment, and perhaps even after that as there's a chance his next stop is *another* specialist.

 

Any ideas? I can't think of ANY. Seriously - I'm tapped. Could just be the lack of coffee - :driving: Starbucks here I come!

[Hyacinth]

Does your local library system offer any programs for kids his age? Story times, scavenger hunts, art projects...things like that?

[AimeeM]

Does your local library system offer any programs for kids his age? Story times, scavenger hunts, art projects...things like that?

 

Only story time. There really isn't any ability to socialize in that, though (in fact, he'd probably get in trouble for trying, lol).

They do offer art project days for homeschoolers, but he wouldn't participate in anything that requires potential for mess. He does enjoy "supervising" crafts :closedeyes: <----- that's why I stopped trying to include "cool" crafts at home, lol.

[TechWife]

I edited after I read your post again. 

 

Kindermusik might be a good fit. 

Park & Rec departments have a variety of classes & activities, check your town & surrounding towns, if feasible

beginning drama

 

On your own, you could co-ordinate a LEGO club, or a board game club. You could also start a reading group/book club with the Caldecott Pockets or something like that. 

 

ETA: Check area museums as well - ours had some great hands on science and history stuff for that age-group. 

[bettyandbob]

Our community center has chess programs and science programs. Both of which my nonsports ds enjoyed. Some places have theater programs for kids that young.

[catz]

Here there are a ton of things he could do. Check your local museums, universities, art schools. Maybe google summer camps in your area. 4-H groups. Music classes, art, science, engineering

[LMV]

Does your church have a children's choir or a junior praise band or something like that?  (If not you could look into some kind of a group music pre-school class.)

 

I can't remember if your son is five and almost six or if he is newly five.  Somehow I'm thinking he is closer to DFDalmost6 in age than DD4 but I may be messing that up.  Either way, he is still at least a year away from Cub Scouts and I wonder if that might not be a good fit because it can messy at times.  

 

4-H is another thought and the mess factor would definitely be there for some projects but not all.  We do let some kids join our club as young as five. But generally we look for kids that are on the emotionally older side of five, ideally have older siblings involved, and or have parents who are able to pitch in and help.  We also don't seek out kids under nine but we do handle on a case by case basis when they are interested.  DD4 is waiting eagerly for her fifth birthday at the end of this year so she can join. Yes, we have been told that we are "mean parents" because we won't just let her have special privileges as the leaders' daughter but we feel like that opens a door for another four year old that we don't want to open, or sets up inequity if we allow our daughter but not someone else's daughter.  Honestly, we also like letting DFDalmost6 have this as her thing a little and think that DD4 is old enough to understand that we don't always get everything we want on our whim.

 

 

[Mama Geek]

Bowling, pool, darts

[rebbyribs]

Some hardware stores (Home Depot, maybe Lowe's) offer building projects for kids on Saturday mornings. In my area, there's a place that offers a "junior woodworking" class.  And another place that offers "young engineering" classes that involve making simple machines, bridges, etc. out of popsicle sticks.  (My daughter LOVED this.)  

 

Bowling might work.

 

Drawing classes - many art classes tend toward the messy, but not all.

 

Music classes - if you have Music Together in your area, they have sibling classes that both of your little guys could do.  Some piano and violin teachers do group classes that complement private lessons.

[itsheresomewhere]

Do you have a place near you that does kids yoga?  It is not really like regular yoga and the kids seem to love it. Maybe your younger one could join in, too?    Do you have any robotics clubs near you?  My kids belong to a gaming club.  We do video games, board games, old games, outdoor games, etc.  Maybe you could find one or start one.   We have all ages and it is a lot of fun.

[AimeeM]

He only just turned 5 about a week ago - so a very "new" 5 :)

Our parish does have a children's choir, but there is no social opportunity there - it's not really an activity. He will be doing CCD (religious ed) at the parish this fall, but again - it isn't really a social activity. I'm hoping it's kept age appropriate/developmentally appropriate and semi-fun :P

 

If 4-H is largely outdoors, he wouldn't care for it, and if it's messy at any point, he definitely wouldn't, lol. If older sibs are expected to pitch in, it would definitely be a no-go for us, as our eldest is not a 4-H type of gal.

 

I wish our parish had a youth group for the younger children, but they don't - they only have youth groups for middle and high schoolers :( It's a bummer because the middle and high school youth groups have a BLAST, and it's very much a social opportunity.

Does your church have a children's choir or a junior praise band or something like that?  (If not you could look into some kind of a group music pre-school class.)

 

I can't remember if your son is five and almost six or if he is newly five.  Somehow I'm thinking he is closer to DFDalmost6 in age than DD4 but I may be messing that up.  Either way, he is still at least a year away from Cub Scouts and I wonder if that might not be a good fit because it can messy at times.  

 

4-H is another thought and the mess factor would definitely be there for some projects but not all.  We do let some kids join our club as young as five. But generally we look for kids that are on the emotionally older side of five, ideally have older siblings involved, and or have parents who are able to pitch in and help.  We also don't seek out kids under nine but we do handle on a case by case basis when they are interested.  DD4 is waiting eagerly for her fifth birthday at the end of this year so she can join. Yes, we have been told that we are "mean parents" because we won't just let her have special privileges as the leaders' daughter but we feel like that opens a door for another four year old that we don't want to open, or sets up inequity if we allow our daughter but not someone else's daughter.  Honestly, we also like letting DFDalmost6 have this as her thing a little and think that DD4 is old enough to understand that we don't always get everything we want on our whim.

 

[AimeeM]

We do have a huge children's theatre. I keep forgetting about that!

Our local boys and girls club has indoor stuff.

 

A local Y has a lot of indoor stuff.  They even offer a cooking class for young kids.

 

There are a couple of "chain" programs around here that might be in your area.  They are Drama Kids, and Kidz Art.  Those are indoor things.

 

I used to bring one to Gymboree. That was all indoors and very gentle. 

 

[AimeeM]

Bowling, pool, darts

 

Yeah. Lol. He's roughly the size of a 2 year old - he can't really pick up a bowling ball, and he certainly can't reach a pool table! I think he'll love those when he's a bit bigger, though :)

[AimeeM]

Some hardware stores (Home Depot, maybe Lowe's) offer building projects for kids on Saturday mornings. In my area, there's a place that offers a "junior woodworking" class.  And another place that offers "young engineering" classes that involve making simple machines, bridges, etc. out of popsicle sticks.  (My daughter LOVED this.)  

 

Bowling might work.

 

Drawing classes - many art classes tend toward the messy, but not all.

 

Music classes - if you have Music Together in your area, they have sibling classes that both of your little guys could do.  Some piano and violin teachers do group classes that complement private lessons.

 

I didn't know about home depot/lowe's. I think a friend has mentioned it, but I didn't realize that they may have things for the much younger crowd. That would be super neat if they had an engineering class - he would really enjoy that.

 

I keep hoping that someone will put together, locally, a Making Music, Praying Twice group (Catholic version of Kindermusik), but nobody yet :P I've never heard of Music Together, so I'll definitely google my area for that!

 

[AimeeM]

Do you have a place near you that does kids yoga?  It is not really like regular yoga and the kids seem to love it. Maybe your younger one could join in, too?    Do you have any robotics clubs near you?  My kids belong to a gaming club.  We do video games, board games, old games, outdoor games, etc.  Maybe you could find one or start one.   We have all ages and it is a lot of fun.

 

We have robotics clubs, but all seem to be geared toward much older kids. I really do not have the time or patience to manage one myself (i.e. start it myself), but I'll look into seeing if there is, by chance, one for younger kids. Where would I look for that? A gaming club would GREAT.

[MistiDelaney]

My son started a games day for homeschoolers at the local library.  He just kept advertising it (through his parents) on every local homeschool forum or e-mail list or Facebook group and just kept showing up with a huge box of games for all ages.  (He adores anything gamelike.  His fuddyduddy parents don't)

 

After a few weeks of playing with his Dad, things started to pick up and now they have a dozen regulars of all ages.  When there are only a few, they play games for the youngest people there.  When a large group shows up, they split into big and little games.

 

He says that the key is to just keep advertising and keep showing up.

[Χά�ων]

Check out kids game days at comic and board game stores.

lego or junior club

science club

4H

 

Something to look into is if there is a social worker or resource person throuh your sons doctor. They may have not just ideas but contacts for your area.

[LMV]

He only just turned 5 about a week ago - so a very "new" 5 :)

Ok, so I guess he is technically closer to DD4 (who will become DD5 at the end of 2014) in age.  Happy belated birthday to Nico!

 

If 4-H is largely outdoors, he wouldn't care for it, and if it's messy at any point, he definitely wouldn't, lol. If older sibs are expected to pitch in, it would definitely be a no-go for us, as our eldest is not a 4-H type of gal.

 

I think a lot of this depends on the club you pick, their emphasis, and their approach.  4-H can be everything from animal projects to cooking and sewing to high level science and technology and many things in between. Underpinning all this are aspects of service, leadership, and public speaking.  It isn't for all kids, obviously, but I think it can be a valuable opportunity, in different ways, for a lot of different children.  You might explore what options there are out there in 4-H in your county, or not.  As far as sibling involvement I don't think any club would require this.  When I mentioned it above I was more explaining that DH or I would have less reservations adding a new five year old clover bud who also had an older brother or sister in the group so we already knew the family and knew what we were getting into to an extent.  We might also on some level know the younger child a little because they might have tagged along to the barbecue we hosted at our house/pool last summer (because we invited entire families not just members) or might have been around if their older sibling was showing horses, participating in clothing revue, or public presentations etc.  For the record, I am completely not suggesting 4-H to get your son riding horses, I grasp he doesn't have that interest and that is cool.  Many kids in the club we lead do have that interest so we support that but they also participate in public presentations, many of them sew for fashion revue, participate in quiz bowl, and work on various community service projects we have identified.  At the end of each project year we have the kids give us suggestions for projects they want to do and then DH and I and our other project leaders get together and identify the projects we are going to offer and plan the calendar.  We also identify a community service activity for the year (we've done the same one for a few years now and they have really come to depend on us so we'll probably continue) and then an additional activity for each season.  At the beginning of the new project year we publish the calendar which has all of the project meetings, business meetings, social events, community service events, and any county/district/state 4-H activities (like public presentations, fashion revue, county fair, county horse shows, NYSD, state fair,etc ).  We have a pretty diverse group.  Our club definitely started out as a horse club (long before DD18 was born) but we've evolved over time.  This year we have kids doing various horse, sheep, and dairy cattle projects, sewing projects, four different food and nutrition projects, first aid, and several kids who are working with mentors on ongoing 4-H science projects. We run our Cloverbuds (children who are 5-<8) as a separate club within a club and focus more on experiences than full on project completion and competition.  In our county (which I think goes a little against national guidelines) the kids are allowed to participate in our county fair and they get their regular danish system ribbons mainly because our fair has a junior division that combines 4-H, scouting, FFA, FHA, various jr. breed organizations etc.  For this reason DH and I are exploring allowing DFDalmost6 to exhibit her sheep at our county fair.  We haven't informed her it could be an option yet because we're doing a little more thinking.  Our county does have some pretty detailed guidelines for allowing animal involvement (and an evaluation leaders should complete before signing off and allowing it) with younger kids and on one hand I do think that is good because kids can be so variable in where they are at this age.  

 

I wish our parish had a youth group for the younger children, but they don't - they only have youth groups for middle and high schoolers :( It's a bummer because the middle and high school youth groups have a BLAST, and it's very much a social opportunity.

 

We do have a younger kids youth service group (I would say it is probably 25% social, 25% celebration and 50% service) but our cut-off is eight and it is dependent on having enough parent back up and support.  It is well understood that activities will not happen if the support is not there. Our Sunday School starts with a Pre-K class and they do intermittently have a group social activity with the same expectations.  Generally it all works out and we get adequate parent participation in a many hands make light work and no one feels like they are carrying all the load.  Perhaps if you are interested in a social group for the younger kids you could see if you have a few friends who would be interested in getting it started with you.  Then you can approach your church leadership with a plan.  

 

[scootiepie]

Chess - it can be as competitive or recreational as you want it to be.    He can play kids or grown-ups up any age.

 

Our co-op has a chess club and the kids surprised a lot of parents by loving it.   It's the class that fills up quickest.

[AMJ]

Try looking into Aikido, if anyone in your area teaches it. Aikido is defensive and protective, and can be tailored towards your son's capabilities and limitations.

 

Check with your local comic book stores -- they usually run games, or know where games are being run. Many stores cater to families because kids are so interested. A store near me is owned/run by a Mom, so they have strict rules about language and behavior and offer games for varying age groups, including 5 years old.

 

If you have a pizza/play place meant for a wide variety of ages (not Chuck E. Cheese, more like Main Event) check there to see if they have clubs or groups that meet there, ask for contact info if they do.

 

How about bowling? Your local bowling alley should know of any kids' bowling groups in the area.

[AMJ]

Yeah. Lol. He's roughly the size of a 2 year old - he can't really pick up a bowling ball, and he certainly can't reach a pool table! I think he'll love those when he's a bit bigger, though :)

They make bowling balls and gear for young kids. At the very least many game places (think laser tag/arcade/pizza places) also have mini-bowling. I've seen toddlers handling those balls with ease.

[shawthorne44]

Have you looked into the Parks and Rec department classes?  Mine has a ton to choose from.  

DD was below the growth chart until recently, so I can sympathize about the complications of very small for age.  

Mine had Lego Robotics classes.  I know you said he wasn't really into Lego, but it was a little time listening to a story, a little time building, and then a lot of time playing with the movable Lego they built.  

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Indoor things we do:

 

4H (we don't do outdoorsy projects, we do art, robots, lego, and other indoor stuff)

Lego Club (our library has a Lego Day, it's busy!)

Chess (we meet friends at coffee shops to play. Mom's get coffee, kids get...kid time)

Minecraft Day (again we meet at coffee shops with laptops, or plan to all log in at same time to same server)

D&D day (once a month about 7-8 kids get together to play you can find D&D scenarios online for younger children)

Board Game days

Indoor Archery Range with kid bows

Robotics clubs and classes

Kindermusic (when they were young enough)

Our local gaming store has a whole room for game days, you might be able to set up a game day at a place like that.

[Jenny in Florida]

My son dances. He started when he was six.

 

Might swimming be a good fit? 

[Χά�ων]

The smallest I've seen is 6 pounds. My 8 year old (skin and bones) has a tough time with it. I have seen some little kids bowl even with heavy balls, but yeah some little kids just don't/can't.

She is talking about bowling that has an even smaller ball and the lane is smaller as well. My son loved it when he was little.

 

Many places have ramps for little kids to use in regular bowling. Someone puts the ball on top and the child pushes it. Kind of weird IMHO.

[Cera]

Engineering for kids might be a good fit for him.  They have quite a few locations around the country.  

Bricks for kids is another one.  It is lego themed but still a lot of fun.

 

Check your local museums and library for offerings.  My kids have taken classes at the science, art and childrens museums as well as a really neat video production class at the local library.  They also did a great animal camp at the zoo.

 

If you have any arts organizations around they might have something.  We have done metal sculpture, stained glass and pottery through ours (the first two were not messy and my builder kid loved them).  We have also done sewing classes and cake decorating through the local joannes fabrics.  

 

Last, if you have a ymca many of them offer classes and clubs that aren't sports related.  

 

Now is a great time to look around because so many organizations offer summer camps which can allow you to get to know their programs and meet other parents with similar kids who might be able to point you toward good fall activities.

[AMJ]

The smallest I've seen is 6 pounds. My 8 year old (skin and bones) has a tough time with it. I have seen some little kids bowl even with heavy balls, but yeah some little kids just don't/can't.

The mini-bowling I've seen around here has smaller and lighter balls than that.

[Χά�ων]

The smallest I've seen is 6 pounds.  My 8 year old (skin and bones) has a tough time with it.  I have seen some little kids bowl even with heavy balls, but yeah some little kids just don't/can't. 

http://www.arcadegamesuperstore.com/super-strike-bowling.htm

[AimeeM]

Well, that's a bit of a bummer. I checked our local 4-H; Nico would have had to have turned 5 by January 1 to participate in this season :(

Robotics leagues do not start until 6 years old, or first grade.

Junior First Lego Leagues do not start until 6 years old.

 

So unless I want to try to undertake making an informal group myself (which I sincerely do not have the time or energy for), those are out. Shame, because it appears 4-H is more than I thought it was and would have been up his alley, and I *know* he would have enjoyed robotics or something of that sort.

[shawthorne44]

What about Scouts?  

The focus on boy scouts is on getting the kids to work together on things.  

[AimeeM]

He's not old enough for Cub Scouts.

 

And it's often outdoors. I've never seen a child with as much contempt for dirt and bugs as my Nico, lol.

[Alessandra]

Chess - it can be as competitive or recreational as you want it to be. He can play kids or grown-ups up any age.

 

Our co-op has a chess club and the kids surprised a lot of parents by loving it. It's the class that fills up quickest.

And it's often outdoors. I've never seen a child with as much contempt for dirt and bugs as my Nico, lol.

Your ds is the perfect age to start chess. Check out the USCF website under Clubs and Tournaments. The club part will indicate if an organization has any kind of summer camp or chess lessons for kids. Chess people are very friendly, and there are no bugs, lol.

 

The movie, Searching for Bobby Fisher, is about kid chess on a competitive level.

[AimeeM]

Your ds is the perfect age to start chess. Check out the USCF website under Clubs and Tournaments. The club part will indicate if an organization has any kind of summer camp or chess lessons for kids. Chess people are very friendly, and there are no bugs, lol.

 

The movie, Searching for Bobby Fisher, is about kid chess on a competitive level.

 

I think chess would be great. I know that our local Catholic schools have teams. Last year I heard rumor that some of the parish schools were going to allow catholic homeschoolers to join interscholastic activities (very homeschool friendly parishes). I'll call them!

[Alessandra]

I think chess would be great. I know that our local Catholic schools have teams. Last year I heard rumor that some of the parish schools were going to allow catholic homeschoolers to join interscholastic activities (very homeschool friendly parishes). I'll call them!

Sounds like a plan.

 

One reason I said that chess is friendly is because, as well as kids playing each other, they look at other games and, if they finish early, play quick, pick up games with whomever is around.

 

Oh, and besides regular games, there is blitz chess, when players have just a.few minutes per game. Rather wild.

 

Another variation is bughouse. Four players on two boards. When you capture your opponents's piece, you give it to your teammate on the other board. Every bughouse game I've seen involves lots of laughing, very different from the usual quiet of chess.

 

Not sure about software for a five year old, but Fritz and Chesster is fun and well- regarded.

[AimeeM]

It looks like the parishes may be my only hope. When I googled youth chess teams/clubs in my area, only adult clubs popped up. Maybe I'm not plugging something right...

 

It does sound like a great idea. My husband loves chess, and our daughter played competitively when she was in Catholic school.

Sounds like a plan.

One reason I said that chess is friendly is because, as well as kids playing each other, they look at other games and, if they finish early, play quick, pick up games with whomever is around.

Oh, and besides regular games, there is blitz chess, when players have just a.few minutes per game. Rather wild.

Another variation is bughouse. Four players on two boards. When you capture your opponents's piece, you give it to your teammate on the other board. Every bughouse game I've seen involves lots of laughing, very different from the usual quiet of chess.

Not sure about software for a five year old, but Fritz and Chesster is fun and well- regarded.

 

[Alessandra]

It looks like the parishes may be my only hope. When I googled youth chess teams/clubs in my area, only adult clubs popped up. Maybe I'm not plugging something right...

 

It does sound like a great idea. My husband loves chess, and our daughter played competitively when she was in Catholic school.

Regular googling might not turn up a chess club. Did you go to USCF (regular site, not sales), then go to Clubs and Tournaments, then to Clubs and scroll down to find your city/ area.

 

But I checked summer tournaments in what I think is your state and found close to zero. Ugh!

 

And there are only 321 registered USCF players in your state, if I am remembering your state correctly. Catholic school may be the best/only option.

[AimeeM]

Regular googling might not turn up a chess club. Did you go to USCF (regular site, not sales), then go to Clubs and Tournaments, then to Clubs and scroll down to find your city/ area.

 

But I checked summer tournaments in what I think is your state and found close to zero. Ugh!

 

I'm rather shocked at the lack of chess tournaments in the area. I share your "ugh!". Because the catholic schools here are so neck deep in the tournaments, I didn't realize the rest of the state thought so little of it, lol. Unfortunately our catholic school teams play through the catholic school associations, so their tournies aren't open to everyone, that I'm aware of.

I'm going to check out the USCF site.

[AimeeM]

Yeah. So. There is only one chess club, open to the public, within an hour of us - and while it says under 18 members are welcome, it looks completely geared towards adults from their specific site :(

[Χά�ων]

I could not find chess clubs in my area until I contacted the library that hosted a learn to play tournament.

[AimeeM]

I could not find chess clubs in my area until I contacted the library that hosted a learn to play tournament.

 

Library! Great idea!

[vonfirmath]

Our community center has chess programs and science programs. Both of which my nonsports ds enjoyed. Some places have theater programs for kids that young.

 

One of our local libraries has a chess club that meets monthly. Usually they don't take kids less than age 7 but you might be able to talk to them.

[vonfirmath]

We have robotics clubs, but all seem to be geared toward much older kids. I really do not have the time or patience to manage one myself (i.e. start it myself), but I'll look into seeing if there is, by chance, one for younger kids. Where would I look for that? A gaming club would GREAT.

 

Ask at your local gaming store if they know of any gaming clubs for young kids.

[AimeeM]

Ask at your local gaming store if they know of any gaming clubs for young kids.

 

Don't laugh at me, lol.

What is a gaming store? Do you mean one that sells video games?

[Χά�ων]

Don't laugh at me, lol.

What is a gaming store? Do you mean one that sells video games?

Board games. Often they sell comic books. 

 

Check out boardgamegeek.com Tons of games that are a far cry better than what can be found at Walmart.

[AimeeM]

Board games. Often they sell comic books. 

 

Check out boardgamegeek.com Tons of games that are a far cry better than what can be found at Walmart.

 

I found two local game and comic book stores. Neither of which appears to have any events outside of comicon (no clubs or anything) listed on their site. I'm going to call and see if they have anything that just isn't advertised on the site.

[Χά�ων]

I found two local game and comic book stores. Neither of which appears to have any events outside of comicon (no clubs or anything) listed on their site. I'm going to call and see if they have anything that just isn't advertised on the site.

If they do not ask if they know anyplace localish that does. About an hour from me is a specialty toy store that has game nights along with juggling and yoyo classes. Not sure if you consider those to be sports or not, but they have the board game nights.

[vonfirmath]

Don't laugh at me, lol.

What is a gaming store? Do you mean one that sells video games?

 

Its a store that sells miniature roleplaying game stuff, lots of different sizes of dice, and unusual games that you wouldn't see on the shelves of a Target or walmart.  European games, or German games is one thing you'll hear referred to. Had Settlers of Catan before it hit mainstream. Dungeons and Dragons. White Wolf products, including LARP. Games Workshop miniatures. Trading card games like magic; the gathering

 

They often have tables set up for gaming to happen Right There.

 

Here's the website of one in Austin:

http://greathallgames.com/

[Alessandra]

I'm rather shocked at the lack of chess tournaments in the area. I share your "ugh!". Because the catholic schools here are so neck deep in the tournaments, I didn't realize the rest of the state thought so little of it, lol. Unfortunately our catholic school teams play through the catholic school associations, so their tournies aren't open to everyone, that I'm aware of.

I'm going to check out the USCF site.

 

You can do some follow up research and may find a brighter picture.

 

1. Go here:

 

http://www.uschess.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=198

 

2. Click on your state

 

3. Find a club near you and click on the Crosstables link at the end of the listing. Club sponsored tournaments will be listed (yellow background). If you see Scholastic in the title, it is a kids only tournament. Click on the tournament. You may see a K-3 section or something for younger kids or all the kids may be together. Look at ratings. The lowest possible rating is 100, so if you see anything in the low hundreds, the players will not be overwhelming.

 

Often the places that do not look good in the listings have quite a few good tournaments. 

 

 

ALSO google [your star name] chess association

[Kerileanne99]

It can be very difficult to find chess groups/lessons for the little ones. There was NOTHING close to us, but my parents (thousands of miles away!) live close to an amazing chess school with a great preschool program (age 3-6).

I checked into it and they offer princess chess via Skype:) 8 little girls meet via Skype and learn and play! Some sort of boys program too. They have found that, at least for the girls, separating them for lessons works well for both groups...and they are trying to appeal to young girls and boys.

I know you would prefer something local (as would I!) but this might be a starting point for him.

 

I actually had to phone them to find out abouy it...

http://www.littlechessmasters.com/programs.htm

[Alessandra]

It can be very difficult to find chess groups/lessons for the little ones. There was NOTHING close to us, but my parents (thousands of miles away!) live close to an amazing chess school with a great preschool program (age 3-6).

I checked into it and they offer princess chess via Skype:) 8 little girls meet via Skype and learn and play! Some sort of boys program too. They have found that, at least for the girls, separating them for lessons works well for both groups...and they are trying to appeal to young girls and boys.

I know you would prefer something local (as would I!) but this might be a starting point for him.

 

I actually had to phone them to find out abouy it...

http://www.littlechessmasters.com/programs.htm

Actually, there is a fair bit of chess vis skype. I know advanced players who have gone that route, but we have never tried it,

 

What a good idea!