Sports

Post 161

Sports tend to be an after school activity but I had a question about them so here goes. (Thanks again, Christine. 🙂 ) We all want our children to be social. We all want them to succeed. We all want them to learn to share and take turns. That’s all part of the early childhood curriculum. And it’s all good. For that reason, a lot of parents introduce some sort of team sport as soon as their child is age ready. They want their child to learn how to be part of a bigger group, have friends outside of a school setting, learn to listen to a coach, and maybe develop some athletic skills. Again, all good.

But, at some point, sports become a bit more serious. Suddenly, if your child doesn’t go to practices a couple of times a week or make a travel team, they are “behind”. There’s also the nagging question of which sports should your child participate in? Should they concentrate on one or try them all? And what if your little one doesn’t want to play soccer, t-ball, basketball, etc. All of these are real dilemmas and don’t just apply to sports but also to dance, gymnastics, etc.

First of all, you know your child best. You know if they would benefit from being part of a team. You know if they are athletic or artistic or intellectual or a combination of all three plus a lot more. So, trust your own good judgement. In my opinion, it is good for most children to be exposed to a team sport. It emphasizes cooperation and listening skills and is just plain fun. It gets them moving around and is a great form of physical exercise. Even if they will never go on to a high school or college level, it’s a great experience for them. For my own children, I tried to expose them to different ones and then let them choose what they wanted to pursue. At some point they had to decide what they really wanted to stay with as there weren’t enough hours in the day to keep up more than one sport per season. That’s one approach.

I would recommend introducing your little one to a sport and see how it goes. If they love it, great. If they don’t, try a different one. (Remember, your child can be a great batter but it still gets “boring” out in left field. Lol.) And if they want to try something more individual like karate or horseback riding those are great choices, too. And if they decide, after being exposed to them, that sports aren’t for them, I think parents need to remember why children start them in the first place…to learn to be part of a group and work together. And that can be done in lots of ways…clubs, playing with friends in the yard, etc. (Of course, if your child loves soccer, baseball, etc. as many do, go for it. 🙂 )

The point is to get your child moving, having fun being part of a group, so they become a well rounded, caring, empathetic person. Trust your instincts and listen to them and they will be.

Take Care. 😀