Time
The hours activities take beyond the session itself: travel, waiting, preparation and the shape of the family week.
Where does that time come from, and who in the family gives it up?
The real work behind raising active kids.
And The Little Ones Too is a free, evidence-led publication for parents and caregivers making decisions about youth sports and children’s activities. We bring together the research on what the activity itself never shows: the hours, the money, the logistics and the family decisions around it.
On the calendar
Saturday practice, nine to ten
Around it
An illustration, not data: one hour on a family calendar, and some of the work around it.
- Getting there, and getting back
- Waiting, with a younger sibling in tow
- Fees, forms and gear
- Who drives, and who stays home
- Meals that move around the schedule
- The conversation about next season
Questions parents ask
Each answer brings together the available evidence, cites every source, and says what the evidence cannot tell you.
- What do youth sports cost families?
- How much family time do children’s activities take?
- How many children play youth sports?
- What age should kids start organized sports?
- How many activities should a child do?
- What do recreational, club and travel sports mean?
- What does the evidence say about burnout and early specialization?
- When should a child quit an activity?
What we study
Four subjects, each about what surrounds the activity rather than the activity alone.
Money
What activities cost families: fees, equipment, travel and the costs no registration form lists.
What do activities cost a family beyond the registration fee?
Activities
The sports, lessons, clubs and programs themselves: how children start, stay and stop.
What keeps children in an activity, and what leads them to stop?
Family Life
How activities shape the household: siblings, parents’ work, meals, rest and shared decisions.
How does one child’s schedule affect their brothers and sisters?
Latest
8 published
How to read our work
Every piece labels three kinds of statement. Our editorial standards
- Sourced fact
- Established by a named source, dated beside it.
- Analysis
- What we conclude, with the reasoning shown.
- Interpretation
- A judgment, labeled as one.
Why this publication exists
Good evidence on these questions exists, but it is scattered across academic studies, government data, national surveys and medical and professional guidance. We bring it together, cite every source, and say plainly what it shows and what it cannot.
And The Little Ones Too is free to read. It was created and is published by ACTIQO, which builds software for families managing children’s activities.