Backpacks are loaded and yellow buses are gassed up for another school year. But what if we decided it was best to send our 9- and 10-year-olds into fifth or sixth grade instead of third and fourth?

The idea comes littered with worry: Are they ready for that? How will it affect them? Is this the best option to help them grow? These are the same questions that parents of 10U players should deliberate when considering whether to push them up a level in hockey.

“There’s always going to be a temptation for parents to have their child play up,” said John Burke, head coach of the women’s hockey team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “But the reality of it is, their player isn’t going to be any better or get any more out of playing with a 12U team right now. In fact, I think they lose a lot more and tend to have less fun doing so.”

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