Sports develop a child’s physical skills. It also has other benefits such as providing children some form of exercise and the opportunity to make friends with other kids as well as allowing them to learn how to play as in a team, to play fair and to boost their self-confidence.
Unfortunately, not all kids are athletic or at least, have an interest in sports. Some show an interest early on while the others develop their love for sports at a later age.
For parents who have a child or children wanting to be in sports, your support and involvement are very important. There are various ways in which you can provide your support to your child.
• Learn about the sport (if you’re not into it)
• Get involved in your child’s activity
• Attend their games and talk about them afterwards
• Don’t expect too much from your child
• Encourage your child to share his experiences with other team members and their coach
• Help your kid handle defeat and disappointments
For parents whose kids don’t show any interest yet, do not force them. Just be patient and in time, they will be the ones to tell you that they’d like to get into a particular sport.
Experts don’t recommend forcing a child to get into a sport he or she doesn’t like. It will only have a negative effect on their emotional state and may lead them to rebel. Also, it can result in injuries particularly if the child is not fit enough for that specific activity.
Originally posted on May 5, 2012 @ 1:28 pm
