Brussels - sports for kids under 6

[CPrunner]

New to Brussels, and trying to figure out how to sign my boys, 2.5 and 4, up for sports - soccer/martial arts/anything really. Everything here seems to start from age 6! Have others encountered this? I very much want them to meet other kids and do something active after school on wednesdays/weekdays.

I'd also be interested to hear about yoga/pilates classes in Ixelles (for myself).

Thanks!

[Portofino]

Well there is Little Gym at Wezembeek Oppem - tis very pricey though take them from babies.

Football and other sports at Woluwe Sports centre. Footie starts from 4 yo.

Judo in Schaerbeek from 3.

Toboggan do alsorts in the school holidays from 2.5.

[Portofino]

Hopefully natation will be along - I think she has a database .

I am going to take dd here on Saturday Kwan Kido They start at 3.

[natation]

Ixelles sports centre has a wednesday afternoon programme, plus there is a list on their website of other sports clubs.
www.xlsports.be/home3.asp?ClubID=60&LG=FR&TestCSS=O

ADEPS the French sports association have several options from 3 years at their Sports centres at Auderghem (Herman Debroux metro) or Woluwe St Lambert (Kraainem metro). You are too late for this term, but could start January.
www.adeps.be/index.asp?m=stages_etape1

American Fitness, a private gym, has courses for children too, found this one judo for 3-5 year olds
www.american-gym-fitness.be/index.html?page=cours.html?ref=prejudo
and tae kwondo from 5 years
www.american-gym-fitness.be/index.html?page=cours.html?ref=prejudo

American gym also does pilates classes. My friend does pilates classes very cheaply but only during the day on tuesdays. American gym might do yoga too.

Try also Etterbeek sports centre for courses.
www.etterbeeksport.be/menufr.html

Action Sport is a huge provider of sports, tennis at College St Michel, loads of options at Athénée Royal Woluwe St Lambert and Sportcity in Woluwe St Pierre, on wednesdays and saturdays.... from 3 years old and they have recreational football at Woluwe White Star at Stade Fallon from 5 years old.
//www.actionsport.be

The only football I know of for 4 year olds, apart from Portofino's indoor football, is BSA's programme held at ISB in Watermael-Boitsfort and St Paul's British primary football club in Vossem. They are both full for the year I believe.
www.bsasports.org/fall-soccer-faq
www.stpaulsbps.com/upload/files/St%20pauls%20football%20club%202010.pdf?PHPSESSID=260be25f632e6a237dfd337d9b7140c7

Imagine has a varied programme mainly arts based, in WSL and Wezembeek-Oppem from 3 years. Our children do guitar and piano there.
www.imagineasbl.be/

Vitamomes in WSP (right near my house) has baby gym, IT, music, dancing from 3/4 years.
www.vitamomes.org/Pages/acti.html

I'm about to try out JJJY which starts from 3 years old, at Ecole Vervloesem/Poseidon sports centre in WSL on a saturday morning, 2 1/2 hours of varied activities for as little as 5 euro per child, if you buy a season ticket of 10 tickets (total of 24 saturdays it can be used over). This and the ADEPS courses are the cheapest activities I can find. My friend has just started her children at JJJY and they are loving it.
www.jjjy.be/hebdo.html

The Kwan Qi Do comes highly recommended from a friend whose son has been going 2 years and mum does it too.

[natation]

Finally in Dutch, there is a sports programme at VUB sports centre on a saturday during term time, 10-12 or 1.30-3.30pm, from 3 years. It started last saturday, here's the link on how to receive the brochure. It might just be worth turning up next saturday and asking in person if there are still places.
www.vgc.be/Cultuur/JeugdSpeelpleinenEnSport/Sport/Publicaties/sportacademie.htm#

Also

[Portofino]

Oh yes - you mentioned the jjjy at the weekend, natation. I will have a look at that incase the Kwan Qi Do doesn't work out.

[frazzlenz]

Natation mentioned Vitamones. My 5 year old son is doing judo there on a Wednesday 2-4 and as well as Art 3-4. They also offer dance, mini basketball, gym, ballet etc. It seems very well run and relaxed. You can try it for a few weeks before enrolling.

[CPrunner]

Thank you all so much! that's great info - I will check out the vitamomes, imagine and wednesday afternoon sports in Woluwe SP and SL centres (i think we live in the part of town - natation, I should have followed your advice and found a house in Woluwe - but too late now, so we'll just drive there i guess...). As for my 'hood - I checked out the Ixelles sports - unfortunately they don't have anything accessible to under 4's (so the youngest can't join), and i paid a visit to the american gym around the corner of our home, people where particularly un-nice, but perhaps i should give that martial arts class a try anyway...

[natation]

Etterbeek sports centre is also very near you, whch is listed as "psychomotricité" from a few months old to 6 years, looks like that's the only thing for under 4s there.

WSP's Sportcity and Vitamomes are 5 minutes walk from each other so you can easily do activities in both these places at the same time, tram 39 from Montgomery, you could do things there from 3 years. Action Sport at Sportcity shows it is pay for the year, but in fact I know they will accept joining half way through the year, pro-rata. I am guessing Vitamomes will do the same, the lady seems very flexible there when I talked to her once.

WSL's Poseidon sports centre is just as near, there's always loads going on there, metro from Montgomery, though I haven''t looked anything specific up, the Dynamic Tantam? website is the one to look on there.

ADEPS Auderghem is about the same distance as Poseidon and Sportcity, when is your 2 year old 3 as you could do their very cheap courses (cheapest along with JJJY) on a wednesday or saturday from January 12?

ADEPS Woluwe and Imagine are the furthest from you.

[Longtime]

www.csfds.be/

This is the link to ADEPS Auderghem which gives a list of the clubs that rent rooms there rather than the cheaper ADEPS run ones. More expensive but still a variety of things that can be done. Not sure about the ages for each one though.

[natation]

Hi again, a final link to check out, WSL's very well organised sports service called Dynamic Tantam, their website lists nearly all the sports activities in the commune.
www.dynamic-tamtam.be/fr/woluwe-sports/clubs/arts-martiaux.php

I think if you really want to find something your boys can do at the same time in the same place, I think your best is 1) Vitamomes - advantage there is that your boys could do 2*1 hours of activities from 2-4 on a wednesday or 10-12 on a saturday and the lady who runs this organisation might allow your 2 1/2 year old to start under age 3 if you stay with him, 2) or ADEPS courses at either ADEPS sports centre Woluwe or Auderghem, perhaps combined with other courses going on in these centres at the same time, between 2-4 on a wednesday or on saturday or sunday mornings. Your 2 1/2 year old will be allowed to start ADEPS courses in January 2012, only "psychomotricité" at that age but your 4 year old gets a choice of 3 courses for his age group, or 3) the Qwan Ki Do at College Jean 23 on a saturday morning, if you stay with the younger one perhaps, or 4) Action Sport at Sportcity or Athénée Royal WSL or 5) that judo class at American Gym.

You can get to all these activities in 30 minutes or less by tram/metro from your area of Ixelles....if you are free tomorrow, I can willingly take you to Vitamomes and there are loads of anglophone children who go there and know a few of them and I'm sure they'd be happy to make you feel welcome - our daughter doesn't do Vitamomes but does a theatre class right next door so we pass by every wednesday. You could also go for a look at Action Sport at Sportcity. Just send me a PM if you fancy it.

[Maymay2009]

Hello do u know ecole parc shuma or princesse paola in woluwe St. Lambert please??