HELP!!! My 4 year old daughter is starting soccer next week for the first time and i sure could use some advice or coaching tips!!! This is her first organized sport and i want to make sure she enjoys it!

Ahhhh, the fun is just about to begin! Both of my kids are in soccer, in fact my hubby and I co-coached our team in the spring and we took first place in the championship (ouch- my shoulder hurts from patting myself on the back- hehe). We are about to start our fall season this week- we are co-coaching again...

So at age 4 it will mostly be instructional with some games, I'm sure, but they probably won't keep score. Make sure she has a pair of cleats, but make sure they are for soccer not football or baseball- there is a difference. There are certain size balls you can get for her (of the exact size I'm not sure but your coach should be able to tell you what size). And make sure you get her shin guards--must, must have!

The most important thing is to not stress out, or stress her out because you want her enjoy it and succeed (and she won't succeed if she doesn't enjoy it). Some things you can have her do at home is dribble the ball around (not dribble as in basketball) dribble with her feet. One thing you can do is "run" around after her as she is dribbling so she can learn to control the ball and keep it close to her. Also have her pass the ball back and forth as you guys run around. You can also dribble the ball yourself and have her try to "steal" the ball away from you. (I think one thing the kids have a hard concept with- especially at that age is "taking a toy away from another kid" when they are taught not to do that while playing socially).

It's hard at this age to expect too much, they are still learning things like ABC's and Counting... Like I said most important- no stressing. Also, all the organizations we have been a part of is volunteer by parents- even if you know nothing-if you can try to help out at practices, being an assistant coach, you will make it much more enjoyable for yourself and your child. This will be my son's seventh season and my second season as co-coach and I'm still learning! Good luck!