Ogden City Recreation recognizes the need for youth sports at an early age and offers many programs such as Little Slugger Baseball, Mighty Mites Basketball and Kindergarten Flag Football for youth ages 3 to 5. These programs are designed to provide children with the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of the sports through fun drills and exercises while their guardians participate and learn teaching skills.

Team sport participation at a young age, or any age, teaches a child how to compete fairly, win or lose, plus important social skills that will influence all aspects of their life. At these young ages the children are introduced to the sports, giving them a head start on the skills, rules and fundamentals of the game prior to actual team participation. Some of the positive benefits and social skills youth sports influence include; physical activity, fun, making friends, communication, coping skills through success and failure, teamwork, sportsmanship, the values of practice and the challenge of competition.

Little Sluggers Baseball, Mighty Mites Basketball and Kindergarten Flag Football have all been huge successes in Ogden. Each year the registration increases and the programs grow. This past season Little Sluggers Baseball and Kindergarten Flag Football’s participation more than doubled from the 2011 seasons. Currently, we have opened a second session for this year’s Mighty Mites Basketball, because the first class filled up. More than the numbers, the success of these programs is even more evident when you see the fun and progress the participants have.

For more information on these and other youth sports programs contact the Ogden City Recreation Division at (801) 629-8253.