[gchappel]

I coached this age group for a couple of years- asst coach at county allstars, etc. I agree with the above posters.
Keep it fun. You need to be their dad playing with them, not their coach. All kids love to hit, hit after catching. Pretend to run the bases. Remember we use the words play and game- keep it at that level for now. Unfortunately at this age, some kids have it and some don't. You really can't tell a childs skill in this game- at least in my opinion until they are 11 or 12. I have seen some pretty bad 7yr olds turn into great high school players. I have also seen some decent 8-10 yr old players never get any better- they get frustrated as other kids advance- and they leave the game demoralized. Again, keep it light and fun. If they want to play with others fine- no pressure from dad. If there is an organized league you may want to look into it. All kids are different. My son never did turn out to be a great ball player- but was a nationally ranked skater,- who would have thunk it.
Gary