For youth-sport parents

All guides & charts

The full Sideline Ready library — every explainer, reference chart, and gear guide for baseball, softball, and gymnastics families. If your kid plays, there's a guide here.

📚 10 parent guides 🏏 Baseball · softball · gymnastics 🗓 Updated 2026

Everything on this site is written for parents who are new to the sport their kid plays. Guides are free; gear-guide pages earn a small commission when you buy through our links — the kids' games never carry advertising or affiliate links.

Gymnastics

Gymnastics guides

Competitive Gymnastics, Explained →

The quick map for new competitive-gymnastics parents: rec to pre-team to team, DP vs Xcel, the four events, the season, and the hours and costs nobody quotes.

Gymnastics Levels by Age →

USA Gymnastics levels 1–10 with typical ages, how mobility scores move kids up, the Xcel alternative, and practice hours and cost per level.

Gymnastics Gear Guide →

The comfy-toes-to-leotard list: what a first gymnastics class really needs and where it's fine to save, plus our picks.

Baseball

Baseball guides

Baseball, Explained →

The division ladder from Tee Ball to Senior, the small-field rules, season pace, and the questions to ask any league before you register.

Baseball Bat Size Chart →

Bat length and drop by age and height, league stamp rules, the two fit tests, plus a kids' glove size chart.

Little League Age Chart →

League age by birth year and month for 2026, the August 31 rule, and which division and field size each age plays on.

8U Baseball Rules →

Lead-offs, steals, run limits, and the no-head-first-slide rule — the 8U Minors rules that surprise parents.

First-Season Baseball Gear & Costs →

The gear checklist and how much a first youth season really costs — league fees to the peaked-cap budget.

Baseball Gear Guide →

Stage-by-stage gear from Tee Ball up, what to buy at each level, where it's fine to save, and the exact gear we bought.

Softball

Softball guides

Softball, Explained →

Softball rules run separate from baseball — no lead-offs, steal on release, the pitcher's circle, and dropped third strike. Here's the map.

The kids' games

Free IQ games

Ad-free quiz games that make your kid a smarter player — no sign-up, works on any phone.

⚾ Baseball IQ Kids🥎 Softball IQ Kids🤸 Gymnastics IQ Kids

Start here

Not sure which guide first? Pick the sport your kid is about to play: baseball, softball, or gymnastics. Or skip reading and go straight to a game — that's the fun part.