Basketball for 3 to 6 Year Olds in Regina
Thirty minutes, mini hoops, and a parent on the court. What a first sports experience should actually look like at three, four, five and six.
- Ages 3-4: 30 minutes a week, a parent on the court, capped at 12, $150 for the 10-week term.
- Ages 5-6: a full hour on their own, capped at 20, $250 for the term.
- Lowered and mini hoops, so a small child actually scores instead of heaving.
- Four terms a year, so you are never more than a few weeks from the next start.
A first organised sport at three or four is not really about the sport. It is about running, stopping, taking a turn, listening to an adult who is not you, and finding out that being in a gym is fun.
Basketball happens to be very good at that, provided the format matches the age. Most of the ways it goes wrong are format problems, not child problems.
What Young Stars actually is
Young Stars runs at the HoopLife Centre in two groups:
- Ages 3-4 — 30 minutes a week, with a parent on the court to help when needed. Capped at 12 children. $150 for a 10-week term.
- Ages 5-6 — a full hour a week, on their own. Capped at 20. $250 for the 10-week term.
It runs four times a year, each term ten weeks, so a family is never waiting long for the next intake.
Why the details matter at this age
Thirty minutes, not sixty. A three-year-old's attention is roughly the length of the class. Stretching it to an hour is how a child decides they do not like basketball.
Lowered and mini hoops. A small child at a ten-foot rim learns to throw a ball with two hands from the chest, because that is the only way it gets up there. That habit takes years to undo. On a low hoop, they score, and scoring is the entire reason a four-year-old comes back.
A parent on the court at 3-4. Not because we need help — because a three-year-old's confidence at a new thing is largely borrowed from the adult beside them.
Coaches trained for this age. A brilliant coach of twelve-year-olds can be completely lost with a group of four-year-olds. It is a different job.
What they actually learn
Everything is taught through games and movement, never lines:
- Dribbling with either hand, mostly as a game
- Shooting at a hoop they can reach
- Passing and catching
- Footwork: starting, stopping, changing direction
- At 5-6, the first taste of defence and playing as a team
The real curriculum is quieter than that: waiting for a turn, trying something you are bad at in front of other people, and coming back the next week anyway.
Questions we get from parents of little ones
"He has never held a basketball." Good. Neither had most of them.
"She will not listen for thirty minutes." She does not have to. The class is built in short blocks that keep moving.
"He is shy." The 3-4 class has you on the floor with him. That is what it is for.
"Is this too early to be serious about sport?" Yes, and that is the point. Nobody is developing an athlete at four. We are building a kid who thinks gyms are a good place to be.
What comes next
At seven, two doors open: weekly Skills Training in the 7-10 band, and the HoopLife League, where grades 1 and 2 play 3x3 on teams of six. Girls who would prefer their own room have Girls Only sessions from seven.
More on the timing question here: what age should kids start basketball?
Frequently asked questions
What age can a child start basketball in Regina?
Three. Young Stars runs for ages 3-4 (30 minutes a week with a parent on the court) and ages 5-6 (a full hour), on lowered and mini hoops.
How much is Young Stars?
$150 for a 10-week term at ages 3-4, and $250 for a 10-week term at ages 5-6. It runs four times a year.
Does a parent need to stay?
For ages 3-4, a parent is on the court taking part. For ages 5-6, you can watch courtside or from the lounge, or drop off.
How big are the groups?
Twelve children in the 3-4 class and twenty in the 5-6 class.
Not sure where your kid fits?
Leave your name and email and a HoopLife coach will help you work it out. Or start with the $10 Get Started package: a planning meeting with a Director plus their first session.
