As parents, one of the most important, most amazing and most tricky responsibilities we have is finding our kids passion and doing all we can to feed it, especially when it comes to sport. There are just so many different sports to choose from, whether it be soccer or rugby, archery or swimming, curling or snowboarding.
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The good news is, kids are now getting introduced to a massive variety of sports from a mega early age, Kids know how to kick a ball before they know how to read. And this is amazing because with sport comes a plethora of vital life skills – discipline, motivation, commitment, how to win gracefully and lose with dignity, teamwork and cooperation.
The big question is, how can you get your child to love sports?
Well, without further ado, here are some helpful tips and bits of advice to get you started:
1. Help Them Get The Basics Down
We’re not sure if you’ve noticed, but kids can get pretty frustrated if they don’t pick something up immediately, something that can put them off trying again in the future. That’s why you need to help them get the basics down, and we don’t just mean batting and kicking. We mean skipping and jumping and those other motor functions that help with balance and coordination. Our advice: get your kid outside for about an hour of physical fun a day. That will really help them master the basics.
2. Let Them Choose Too
This is another area parents never give much thought too, which isn’t a bad thing because, most of the time, parents want their children to embrace the social aspect of sport, so they put them in the same programs their friends are in. But this doesn’t always work out for the best. Let’s say your kid doesn’t like football or isn’t good at it; this feeling of being a failure may stop them trying other sports too. Instead, ask them what sports they want to try or, if they’re older, what sports they want to focus on and go with it. If they love soccer and want to see how far they can go in it, then run with it.
3. Find the Right Coaches
While you’re going to be the biggest help they have in the casual confines of your home, the coach and team you choose for them is going to have the biggest impact on how seriously they take it, how committed they become and how quickly they realise their own talents. With that in mind, make an effort to find them the right team, or the right league and, if you go on a summer vacation, see what you can find there too, whether that be signing up to FCB Canada if they like soccer or a local little league side if they’re getting into the swing of baseball. Coaches are crucial to a child’s sporting development, and so finding the ones that suit your kid’s learning process is imperative.
Don’t Forget the Reason Why
The moment a kid starts to show some promise in a sport, it becomes so easy for a parent to forget the reasons why and start focussing on college scholarships and what not, pushing their kids to the brink of burnout with private coaching etc. Try not to. Instead, remember why your kid got into sports: for the social, emotional and physical development and, of course, the fun. Keeping that in your mind will ensure your kid never loses their passion for it.
