Tips Needed: How to be a Soccer Mom
Elias is starting soccer in a few weeks.
He will have one practice and one game a week for two months.
He is so excited.
I’m excited too. But I’m also a little nervous.
Y’all I have never played a sport in my life.
Sports have never been that thing.
I don’t know the first thing about soccer. (Well, I know you want to get the ball in the goal net thing at the end of the field, but that’s it.)
HELP!
Do your kids play soccer? What are your best tips? I need ’em!
Don’t worry about the rules of the game- that’s why they have coaches! At this age it’s so low key, just focus on having fun!
You will LOVE soccer. My two boys played (from age 6 through high school) and now my 4 young grandchildren play. It’s a fun sport especially at Elias’s age. You might want to get Elias a pair of soccer socks to wear over the shin guards. Hope Elias has fun playing.
Oh, the socks go over the shin guards? Whoops. (He’s wearing soccer socks… I just put the shin guards on over them.) Why do they make them so fun looking if they get covered up? 🙂
Yes…most kids do wear the socks over the shin guards, but…my 7 year old daughter didn’t like the feel of them that way and she wore her shin guards on the outside. Nobody said anything… Enjoy!!!
My son has played since he was 5 and he’s 13. At the young age it’s more fun than competitive. Expect the ball to go in the wrong net. It’s very cute at that age. Enjoy.
I agree with the above comments. It is all about having fun at this age. I have a 9 yr old girl who has been playing since she was 4 and a 4yr old boy who started last fall. He scored more goals for the other team than his but was so excited it was hard not to be happy too. A couple things mine like is their own water bottle for practice and games and healthy snacks. Enjoy and take lots of photos:)
On your snack day, you need to bring orange slices. Don’t make the mistake of bringing Little Debi cakes. Elias would have to change leagues, and even there your reputation would follow you! My son started playing at 8 years old. He is now 26. Although I get the gist of the game, I never understood the off sides call. I learned to cheer when the other parents from our team cheered, and appear outraged when they expressed that same look. The first few Sat mornings will be cold! Score points by bringing a couple of dozen Krispy Kremes and sharing with your fellow parents. (Parents are except from orange slices) Good luck! PS: both of my kids are grown & live 500 & 1000 miles away. Every time I pass a soccer field, I reflect on some of the best moments of my life! #NotOnlySoccerButMemories
*teary* I’m a mom of three boys right there in the middle of making all those memories on the soccer fields and you just made me teary thinking about when they are grown up and gone and driving past the soccer fields where sometimes I feel like I live!
ps – the off sides calls still confuse me too. I try to keep my mouth shut so I don’t say the wrong thing, because I sometimes do! 😉 My husband even coaches and my oldest has explained it to me several times. Sports have never been my thing.
How fun! I can’t wait till my boys can join soccer. I used to have so much fun watching my niece and nephew play when they were that age. It’s all about having a good time.
A good travel mug and a comfy folding chair! {Oh, and water/snacks and stuff for the kids too!)
At this young of age, having fun is most important for the both of you! Just have fun and meet the other parents! Also, don’t forget your snack day. Worst day ever! I agree with above, bring a camping chair and some snacks 🙂 Have fun!
I would agree with everything mentioned already…my only addition is to have something for your baby girl to do. Mine always wanted to be on the field with her siblings! And extra warm blankets for the one in the stroller – those first few games are freezing!
ditto above comments re: snacks, blankets, something for Addeline to do. My son now 6 has played three years, finally scored a goal last season. First two years were just herding cats up and down the field. This past year he had a coach who really tried to teach positions, plays, etc (tho most kids were older) and it was a huge difference. Now my youngest (3) is going to play too. Fun times! I played sports but never soccer, have no idea what the rules are.
Go to the practices and talk to the coaches so you can learn the different positions (forward, halfback, etc.). At home you can go over what the different positions do during the game. All the little girls on my daughter’s soccer team had a hard time figuring out where they were supposed to be during the game (I had a heck of a time too!). Have fun! They are so cute running after the ball!
yep… comfy chair, blankets, snacks, camera, and toys for lil sis! I try to keep my soccer bag stocked and ready to go along with the fold up chairs in bags in the back of the van. It’s always so nice when the parents who are providing snacks have “extras” for the little siblings too. 🙂 A lot of our parents did snack cakes and stuff and no one made a big deal. LOL But I did giggle at that comment above. I have three boys who all play fall and spring soccer and my hubby coaches two of them (he coached the oldest too until he got older and is now on a separate league team) so we are a soccer family at this point. Our youngest is a little girl who has grown up playing on the sidelines of her brother’s soccer games… first in a sling pouch, then in my backpack, then in the stroller, and now she’s finally old enough to have her own little chair and packs her own little bag of stuff to do. She tried a Tiny Kickers soccer clinic last summer and hated it so we’re holding off on any form of organized sports for her. (whew! 3 teams are enough to keep up with!) I still bring the stroller sometimes just to haul the “stuff!”. Don’t forget sunscreen, bug spray if that’s an issue, and sometimes an umbrella either to use for obvious purposes because they still play in the rain! or to shade yourself from the sun because it can get hot sitting there.
I think at this age, you’ll just be grinning from ear to ear watching them run back and forth and around and round! If he continues to play as he gets older, my best advice is to stay involved with the families and other parents on the sidelines…. help organize snack schedules and team get-togethers. Teams play better together when they have team unity. It can become a little community of sorts. Also, parents can get “heated” over kids’ sports. Try really hard to bite your tongue and not yell at the other parents when they are getting overly into the game. 😉 Trust me. I’ve very nearly bitten my tongue off. LOL And I’ve been on the other end of that stick too in opening my big mouth when my boy got repeatedly knocked in the head by a tall girl with pointy elbows that she liked to throw around. It’s tough watching your kid get beat up! I was reminded that a mama bear with a cross on, is still a mama bear. I justified myself a little when my son appreciated that I stuck up for him when no one else (including the coach and ref) would. Anyways, sorry to be so long in this comment. I’ve got lots of advice and you asked! 😉
Hi! Soccer is awesome, especially at that age! My kids all play and my boyfriend coaches their team. It’s not so serious now, so enjoy every minute of it. Be that crazy mom up and down the sidelines cheering your kid on. Its so worth it. Only advice I can give that hasn’t already been given is, have your cooler stocked, water and snacks. It might not seem like they are there long, but that hour of running around will turn them into little monsters wanting food and drink. But really, Enjoy it! Sports teach them so many valuable skills.
My goodness, a soccer game in America sounds like a camping trip. How long are your games? Here we just go with a water bottle, no snack, no chair, no nothing. Just playing and watching. At this age nobody cares about rules or positions, just go for the ball.
Your comment made me laugh! We are a bit over the top over here. 🙂
yep, that is how we do things in the USA 😉
And try not to run over your little sister
We also have a little half tent thing that is great for the sun/rain/wind. It’s large enough for Adeline to play in and for you to sit in. I also love that I can set it up and take it down by myself and it comes with a handy carrying case to just sling over your shoulder. I can’t remember the brand we have but we got it at Costco for about $35. We’ve also taken it to the park and the beach and love it. Have a great time!!! 🙂
Sounds like everyone has shared great tips. Ask the coach and/or team parent about snacks. We’re told no oranges or any citrus (messy and not good to eat while running around so much). Definitely bring something for your sweet girl to keep her occupied. Have fun and keep us updated!
I haven’t read all of the previous comments, so this may have already been suggested; but as tempting as it was for me, this is not the time to fellowship with the other soccer moms, every time my son looked over at me, he wanted to know I was watching him. Oh, and cheer for him like crazy, and really loudly, they love the attention. Have fun!
My free advice is to let him wear his uniform around the house for a while to get used to it. My oldest son was so enamored with himself in his uniform, that he spent much of his first soccer season just standing on the field and admiring himself. Once the ball landed on his foot and he didn’t even notice because he was . . . yep, admiring his uniform. Even the parents on the other team started yelling for him to KICK THE BALL!! True story. =)
Have fun!! Don’t stress if he is not interested in playing. My son played about half the games last year (he was 4). He was not as interested in playing as he originally seemed to be.
I didn’t know much about soccer until I married a Spaniard and was coaxed into playing on a co-ed league with him since they were short on girls. 🙂
Be prepared for flower-picking, plane-watching, and “labor disputes,” as we called them, during the first season. 😉 Sometimes they’re just not interested.
Do you drive a minivan? That helps too! Ha!
Chocolate milk is one of the best drinks for recovery, but I usually have juice boxes available too if I bring chocolate milk. Frozen gogurt makes for a great snack. In a pinch, those organic apple slices that come packed from publix (I’ve seen them at Costco at times too!) or the little packages of baby carrots. I’ll often do bunny snacks or granola bars. Sometimes I let my boys choose the granola bars from Amazon so that I can cover snacks for both of the boys’ teams.
It’s a lot of fun. My kids want to play constantly. the 6yo started just before he turned 4, and the 4yo started a couple months shy of his 3rd birthday (we had to be there anyway, and figured we’d get the flower-picking season out of the way early! He actually wanted to play, though!) My 6yo will be trying out for the club team. I guess my life will officially be over if I end up with two boys playing travel, huh? I may need to rethink this…
Oh! And if he doesn’t like the socks over the shin guards, they are actually long enough at this age to put them under the guards and fold them all the way over back down to the ankle!
(But just do what a lot of us do and get online and buy the integrated socks that have the shin guards. Target carries them and so does amazon. My kids put them on by themselves most of the time now!) especially fir practices, they are ver handy. Most leagues don’t have a problem with them and don’t consider it out of uniform for games. We do make sure to get the uniform socks on for picture day.
I’m so glad you asked this question! My oldest (4-years-old) has his first practice on Saturday, so all this advice was incredibly timely!
So fun! My husband and I both played from elementary school through high school — and awesomely fun intramurals in college:)
You’ll have such fun! Yes, the socks go over the shin guards, though I doubt at his age they’ll be too picky — later they absolutely will be, and the socks will have to be over the shin guards in order for him to play (seriously! The refs check the uniforms before the game!)
Have fun:)
I was thinking about you yesterday as I sat in the doctor’s waiting room and spotted an article on how to be a properly prepared sports Mom in the Sept. 2012 issue of Family Fun magazine. It went into preparing a first-aid kit (plus any of the extras needed) and what snacks to take for a regular game versus a tournament etc. Maybe your doctor has it sitting around in his waiting room too (or I’m sure you can find the content on-line.)
My five year old is starting for the first time on Feb 8th. The required uniform is consists of shorts and short sleeves. Are the kids typically allowed to wear jackets? And what are the pants you have on your little one in the picture? I’m worried about him being cold and not enjoying himself.
They run around and warm up quickly! The underarmour or target brand long sleeve dry-fit type shirts work really well under jerseys too!