All right everyone, “It’s that time of year again!” You know, that time of year when you hear that phrase and think, “Oh no, what else have I forgotten?”

If you walk into many local stores, the warm body of the school supply section has been kicked aside for Halloween, and in some extreme cases, Christmas. With the first full week of school almost over, lazy days have been replaced with bus stops, talk of Parent/Teacher conferences (there will undoubtedly be a sign up at curriculum night next week,) and weekends full of sports. If you have smaller kids you have the task of finding something to do to fill your time that you both like, which sounds much easier than it is.

Many sports have already started, and classes (which don’t start until the good TV comes back) are close to capacity. It can be a lot of pressure trying to find the right thing to fill the time or even the one thing your kid will like. I’ve got a pair of “spirited,” “he has a lot of energy,” “you’ve got your hands full” boys — or at least this is what I am told by others, often — so picking classes has been tricky. I mean, finding the right thing to do with kids is hard and when “there’s always one” is announced about your kid in their first kiddie class, it can feel impossible. This is why I often depend on free trial classes and then the all-powerful Mom word of mouth.

If a place has a good service and reputation, often times the first time is free because they know your kid is going to like it. The thing I love about it is, I can get a gauge on how it’s going to go with the free trial before I am committed financially. We have all signed up for something we dread going to by the third week but by that time are up to our knees in equipment, our name is in the snack rotation, and we’ve promised our friends we’d stick it out with them.

Here are couple of free trials and some great news if you feel like you already missed the soccer train this season.

Music classes are a staple for the 5-and-under set and Alley Bell Music has a chance for you to try one out FREE. Owned by Edmonds mom Sarah Richard, Alley Bell Music holds Music Together classes at the Barclay Shelton Dance Centre. The classes, which “include parent education to help adults understand and enhance their child’s music development,” are 45 minutes and if your child’s sibling is 8 months or younger at the start of class, they are allowed to stay free of charge. The fall semester starts Sept. 20. Space is limited in the trial class and registration for the event is at https://www.alleybellmusic.com.

Who: Kids 0-5
What: Free Trial Music Together Class at Alley Bell Music
When: Sept. 13 at 9:45 a.m.
Where: Barclay Shelton Dance Centre, 413 Bell St., Edmonds

Starting new sports can be nerve-wracking as a parent for more reasons that you can imagine before you have kids. You wonder if you started young enough, will you blow your money on it and they will hate it, or you even just wonder where to start. Seattle Junior Hockey Association provides a pretty soft landing for the parents in these departments. Saturday, Sept. 14, there is an event at Lynnwood Ice Arena where you can bring your 4- to 10-year-old child and they can try it all out for free. The kids are provided skates, fitted with equipment for the afternoon, and receive pointers that range from how to get upright to how to stay upright. We went to our first event when my oldest was 4 and we were able to see if he was interested before we committed ourselves to hours in an ice rink. He was game after getting some coaching on how to stand up and being handed a hockey stick. On the flip side, we saved a ton of time and aggravation after taking our youngest son and finding out he’d rather run around outside the rink than set foot it in. If you do choose to sign up, you can rent your equipment for the year, which saves time. AND when your kid hulks out of his skates overnight you just make arrangements to get a new size. For more on Saturday’s free event or how to sign up for the season visit SJHA.com. Maybe we’ll see you at the rink this winter!

Who: 4- to 10-year-old boys AND girls
What: Free Youth Hockey Coaching, Skating Instruction, and Open Skate/Play Time
When: Saturday, Sept. 14, 1-2:30 pm,
Where: Lynnwood Ice Arena, 19803 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood

If you are like me, you have seen soccer pics in your Facebook timeline for weeks already. If you feel like you have missed the soccer boat or your child is too young, there is still hope! I spoke with Debbie at Edmonds Parks and Recreation and she assured me there is still space in Kidz Love Soccer. There are a range of classes held at City Park until November, when they move into the Frances Anderson Center gym. There are classes for 3- to 10-year-olds and the youngest kids still require parent involvement. Both of my kids participated in this program and really loved it. We found that even with a three-year break between kids participating, the instructors were still easy going and just right, and so I feel very comfortable recommending it. For more on Kidz Love Soccer, visit reczone.org.

Who: 3- to 10-year-old boys and girls
What: Kidz Love Soccer
When: The next session starts Sept. 20
Where: Edmonds City Park, 3rd Ave. S., Edmonds

Good Luck and, as always, please email me if you are having an event that would be great for families in Edmonds!

– By Jen Marx

Jen Marx, an Edmonds Mom of two young boys, is a traffic reporter by dawn and writer and PBJ maker by day. She is always looking for a fun place to take the kids that makes them tired enough to go to bed on time. You can contact Jen with your local event at play@myedmondsnews.com or find her trying to make sense of begging kids to ” just eat the mac n cheese” at SnackMomSyndrome.com. If you have a kid-friendly event you’d like to share, email her at play@myedmondsnews.com.