Children and Sports: A Guide for Parents (Part 1)

Child play may seem a trivial matter to adults, but it is through play that children learn. From social skills to fine motor skills, and everything in between, a critical component of good health is active energy. In order words, children need to play in order to keep healthy.

The problem nowadays is that many sports programs for children, from very young to older, are being dominated by well-meaning adults that often end up encumbering free play, a much needed facet of being active.

On the other hand, unless they take special precautions to keep it alive, many families with elementary school-age children discover that spontaneous, self-generated play gets put on the back burner too often. Children need to embrace free play. Research has now been showing that too many organized sports decrease skill and interfere with creativity.

As for older children, there has been an increase in the numbers of those who turn to sports to test their abilities and be accepted in certain peer groups, and also to get to cope their changing physique.

It is important to know how to guide each group in order to help them feel comfortable with playing around for the love of it (for younger but also older children alike) and to help them match their physical abilities to their desire to excel (the teenagers and young adults).

Another concern is helping children play and be involved in various sports without the risk of added health concerns. Qualified sports medicine doctors can provide guidance to families, schools and community-based sports programs.

I believe that sports counselling for children of various ages is a necessary addition to an active lifestyle in order to keep them injury-safe and also help guide them towards the most appropriate types of sports.

If, as a parent, you have asked yourself one or more of these questions, you know how tricky it could be to find the right approach:

1. What sport is appropriate for my child’s age?
2. Is sports participation necessary in the first place?
3. Is a certain sport a good idea? Who chose it and why?
4. Is volunteer coaching a facet of good parenting?
5. Should my child want to pursue competitive sports, are these yearly years determinant for his later career success?

These are some of the most common questions I get asked by parents of young developing athletes. A solid knowledge of the way children develop physically, supported by understanding their behavioral development as they mature, helps with deciding which sports are most appropriate for various ages.

While some of the sports for children are patterned after the varsity and professional model in which winning is the primary goal, it is important to know at which age they should be introduced or allow to pursue competitiveness, and when to stick to simply …playing. Sports programs can be a valuable component of harmonious physical and behavioral development, but knowing how to make it age-appropriate makes all the difference.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this series for what you should expect and encourage sports-wise at every age.