Classes and Academies

Playball offers a range of age-appropriate lessons for children aged two to nine years during the term time.  Our lessons take place at Community Centres and Sports Clubs as well as at local schools.   My child is... Two or three years old Four or five years old Six to nine years old

Please note that some classes are full.  Let us know nontheless and your child will be put on a waiting list.

 

What makes our classes so unique?

Emphasis is on action and opportunity for repetitions through “play” in small group activities.
Children are given many creative and imaginative play opportunities.
Activities include a broad range of motor skills.
Adult-to-child ratio is small to provide opportunity for quality repetitions and individual attention
Equipment is modified to match ability level of participants
• Smaller to match size of participants
• Softer to encourage proper use of skills and for safety
• Size of play area is reduced

 

Bill of Rights for Children's Sports

RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN SPORTS
• Provide an opportunity to play a variety of sports and positions.
• Adopt “child first – winning second” (Rainer Martens) philosophies.
• “Full” participation for ALL – equal playing time in competitions.

RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE AT A LEVEL COMMENSURATE WITH MATURITY AND ABILITY
• Flexible age classifications to give late maturing children a chance to participate at current level of maturity.
• Provide various levels of activity within a sport.

RIGHT TO HAVE QUALIFIED ADULT LEADERSHIP
• Provide specialized training for adults working with children 10 years and younger so they understand the characteristics and appropriate programming and interpersonal skills necessary to match those characteristics.

RIGHT TO PLAY AS A CHILD NOT AN ADULT
• Provide activities/competitive situations that have been modified to match the maturity level of children involved – few 5-6 year olds have the physical skills or emotional maturity for team competition.
• Avoid over-structure, over-specialization and overemphasis on seriousness.
• Provide opportunities to tap their creativity, imagination and enthusiastic energy.
• Provide consequence-free activities.

RIGHT TO SHARE IN THE LEADERSHIP AND DECISION-MAKING OF SPORT PARTICIPATION
• Allow children to share ideas on their level of involvement.
• Listen as well as dictate – provide as many decision-making opportunities as possible.

RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN SAFE AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS
• Activities should attend to both physical and psychological safety of children.

RIGHT TO PROPER PREPARATION FOR PARTICIPATION IN SPORT
• Provide programs that develop fundamental skills prior to thrusting children into competitive situations.
• Provide more opportunities to practice in “fun” activities, rather than competition.

RIGHT TO AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO STRIVE FOR SUCCESS
• Teach that success is not synonymous with winning, nor failure with losing – success is found in effort and improvement.
• ALL children deserve qualified instruction and an equal opportunity to strive for success – including community based programs. Not providing “quality” programs takes the right to choose “excellence” away somewhere down the road, and makes recreational play less healthy, safe, and fun.

RIGHT TO BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY
• Treat ALL children with sensitivity, understanding and respect.
• There is NO place in children’s sports for hecklers or insensitive adults.
• Behavior expectations and consequences of misbehavior should be introduced and meted out with the dignity of the child the number one priority.

RIGHT TO HAVE FUN IN SPORT
• If the first nine rights are upheld, FUN will be a natural result.