You can increase the chances of your child becoming a healthy adult by, while they are still little, encouraging them to take up a sport. However, it isn’t realistic to expect a child to stick to a particular sport for long if it is a poor fit for their personality or athletic ability.
This is why it can pay to be meticulous and patient in the effort to help your child settle on the most suitable sport for them. Here are some particularly useful ways in which you can do that.
Let your child try a range of sports
You might already be in the habit of regularly taking your child to a park to play some recreational sport with them there. This can be a good starting point for nudging them towards making a more solid, long-term commitment to the sporting endeavour. However, patience is of the essence… It’s a good idea to follow OnHealth‘s advice to spend one-on-one time with the little one to let them sample and learn an array of different sports. At this point, you might notice that your child is naturally drawn towards a specific sport – and this would certainly bode well for the future.
Which sports seem to align with your child’s personality?
You shouldn’t fear to go through a lengthy process of trial and error as you expose your offspring to various physical activities. One reason why is that your child’s personality can influence matters; kids who thrive on camaraderie, for example, can prefer team sports to exercise alone. An activity like running or swimming would allow a child to set their own pace. This can reap dividends if your child anticipates struggling to learn quickly and so would prefer not to be seen clearly falling behind their peers in ability, as Today’s Parent details.
Consider your little one’s physical traits
You might near the stage of wanting to sign your offspring up to a sports team. However, this kind of team can set high standards that your child might not have become accustomed to a meeting during the course of more casual activity in a recreational setting. For example, the specific sport you have selected might call for participants taller or stronger than your child. If you are uncertain whether they have the right physical attributes, get in touch with the team’s coach, as they should be able to specify what the sport really needs at this level.
Is your child showing true commitment?
Sports clubs tend to have numerous youth teams covering several different age brackets. For example, if your loved one wants to play cricket in Chester le Street, the County Durham town’s cricket club on Ropery Lane has different teams for under 11s, 13s, 15s and 18s.
You can phone the club on 0191 3883684 to learn how your child can join. However, if your offspring’s enthusiasm falters, they may hate physical activity – in which case, think about whether you should encourage their continued commitment or let them try something else, says WebMD.
