Baseball and T-Ball for Kids 5 & Under
Parent Q&A
I don't have any experience with the Berkeley Rec league, only NOLL/SOLL (going into my 8th year and 3rd kid there), but for t-ball I don't really think it matters where you go - at that age, they're still learning to run to first base and not third (really!) when they hit the ball and things like that. If it's convenient and fun, go for it. Bonus points if you can be with some buddies from school. I think for NOLL/SOLL you have to be in kindergarten to play t-ball, so you might end up doing a year of rec anyway if you want to play next spring. If you want to play official Little League, it's based on your home address (although you can sometimes get an exception if you attend a school in the boundaries of a different league) - NOLL/SOLL has boundary info and maps here: http://www.nollsoll.com/faq/#48, and I imagine Albany LL has something similar on their website. Have fun!
Archived Q&A and Reviews
T-Ball for 5 Year Old?
March 2011
I would like to get my 5.5 year old son on a T Ball team this spring or summer. He had no experience on a team, but is very interested in the sport. We live in the Lake Merritt area, and would like something that is 1-2 times per week. The information on BPN seems to be outdated, does anyone have any recommendations? Thank you! Rachel
If your son turned 5 by 4/30/11 and is in kindergarten, he's eligible to play T-ball with North Oakland/South Oakland Little League (NOLL/SOLL - www.nollsoll.com). _However_, registration has ended and games started a couple weeks ago, so I don't think you'd be able to get him on a team for this year. Mark your calendar for next year's registration, which will start in November. Both my boys played NOLL/SOLL T-ball and loved it. Oakland Babe Ruth also runs T-ball teams; I'm not as familiar with them but I'd guess their season is underway already, too. Lastly, Oakland Park & Rec offers T-ball programs for kids ages 3-6 at various parks - it's more of a weekly practice than a team, but if he's really jonesing for T-ball it might be a starting place. Details at http://www.oaklandnet.com/parks/programs/. Baseball Mom
We've been doing baseball/tee-ball at ''El Cerrito Sports Camp'' with our 4 year old boy for 2 sessions now [started going last Fall 2010]. It's run by Norm Freidman; great for kids not yet ready for Little League. It's on Sundays . . . kids are generally 4-6 years old. We live in Berkeley -- being a resident of El Cerrito not necessary. http://www.elcerritosportscamp.com/programs.html Antoinette
T-Ball or Similar for not quite 4 y.o.
March 2009
I'm looking for some summer activities for my son who will turn 4 in August. I see that many of the sports classes start at age 4 or older, and we'd like to take the classes in June or July. I'm thinking t-ball or soccer. Preferably in Berkely, Albany, or El Cerrito. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks. Anon
Oakland Park & Rec offers t-ball, soccer and other sports (just practicing and playing around, not official teams/games, which they're really not ready for at this age, anyway) for ages 3 or 3.5 and up. See www.oaklandnet.com/parks/programs/ or see if a city closer to you has something similar. We did both t-ball and soccer there when my son was 3 or 4 and had a lot of fun. Sports Mom
T-ball for 3 year olds?
Sept 2007
Hello, Does anyone know of a t-ball group for 3 year olds? Or any other organized sport for such young ones? Thanks! mom to a sporty toddler
I've recommended this before, but it bears repeating: If you live in/near Oakland, Oakland Park & Rec offers t-ball, soccer and multi-sport (they try t-ball, soccer, kickball, etc. over the course of several weeks) classes for kids ages 3.5 and up at parks around town. We've done several sessions with them with our just-turned 4yo and had a good time. See http://www.oaklandnet.com/parks/programs/ for more info and schedule. You can even register online -- super easy. Also Mom of Sporty Kid
For a 3 year old, you could look into Bladium in Alameda - they run lots of programs for toddlers like "Little Kickers" (for soccer) and "Little Sluggers" for T-ball. I'm not sure if or how they're operating in Covid times, but it's worth looking into. Also, FYI if Alameda isn't convenient for you, we used to do their classes at the Beach Play Field on Linda Ave in Piedmont - they contracted with the City of Piedmont Dept of Rec to offer classes there, which was great- much nicer to be outside than in their giant (indoor) airplane hanger building in Alameda.