Introducing your child to sports early on in life has definite benefits. You don’t have to be sporty to raise a sporty child. Be consistent, keep it fun, and your child will stay active well into adulthood.
From the minute she started to take the first steps, my daughter Ella loved to move about. She loves climbing over our couches and running around the house despite my desperate pleas. Her brother, Jayden is much the same way – He’s bursting with energy and is always ready to jump at the chance to have some good old fashioned fun.
While I’m not trying to raise a star athlete, I’m well aware of our country’s childhood obesity crisis, which has doubled for children ages 2 to 5 and gone up three-fold for kids aged between 6 and 11 years. For this reason, I’m committed to building a lasting love of healthy living and physical fitness.
The Benefits of Playing Sports
In today’s world, kids spend a lot of time glued to a screen. It’s a thing of joy to see your child out in the open getting fresh air and exercising.
Furthermore, studies show that the benefits of sports manifest much later into adulthood. Sports instil life skills far beyond any classroom could – Sporty kids develop a more positive body image, excel at schoolwork through middle and high school, and are unlikely to get into bad company and drug abuse. Kids also learn the value of teamwork, putting in the effort, and communicate better.
Sports also teach your kids a range of social skills – They make friends, learn how to deal with failure and how to lose gracefully. The determination that comes from striving for a win, is one thing. Learning to stay motivated and pick themselves up and keep training after a loss is huge.
Also, sports give your child the chance to grow into an all-around individual – They help them grow physically and also build a valuable character skill set necessary to thrive in the real world.
All these benefits, however, don’t mean that you need to enrol your child to a sports boot camp. Teaching the fundamentals is achievable by simply playing in your backyard. You can lay the groundwork for your child to learn vital motor skills such as jumping, running, throwing and catching by kicking a ball, swinging a bat, or playing tag. Learning the basics and having fun should be the emphasis.
That said, if your child wants to join a youth baseball team, check out the program, read about little league baseball rules, and speak parents of older kids for some honest advice.
Start Early, Start Late, Start Whenever!
If your kid wants to start early, there’s no harm in doing so – just don’t feel the pressure of throwing the kitchen sink at it because there are ample opportunities to learn and grow in the future.
Many parents believe in having an early start in sports, training with the best coaches, getting the best gear and rigorously training all year round to give their kids the best shot at success.
Lots of businesses have cropped up to cater to this need, which is now known as the “professionalization of youth sports,” tapping into the $15 billion youth sports market in the United States.
This specialization (focusing on only one sport all-year-round) has been shown to increase the chances of injury or burnout. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to let their children try out multiple sports and hold off on specializing, probably up until their early teens to avoid placing repeated stress on their muscles.
All things considered, keep the end goal in mind and remember why you enrolled your kids into sports. Was it so they could go pro? Probably not. Sports should be a source of happiness and fun. Make sure you emphasize this over anything else.
