How many sports is too many for a young child?
We all know that sports are great for our kids’ development, both physically and mentally. There are a whole bunch of skills that they can pick up along the way, such as leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, discipline, and so on. With that being said, how many sports should a kid play to get the best out of their activities?
More experiences should equal a better understanding of movement
Usually, the more sports a child plays, the better. Playing multiple sports gives children access to a broader range of skills and experiences that they wouldn’t get from playing just one sport. On top of that, playing the same sport continuously comes with the added risk of injury from repetitive movements and burnout.
Sports are a fantastic way for our children to develop their bodies as well as their character. There are challenges and conflicts in each sport that your child must learn to overcome if they are to perform well as an athlete, and most, if not all, of these challenges, help to build positive traits and characteristics that will serve them well in their life.
It’s important to realize that each sport is different from the next, with varying rules, skills, demands, and obstacles. If your goal is to make your child as well rounded as possible from playing sports, then it makes a lot of sense to enroll them in as many different sporting activities as possible. However, as we will mention later on in this article, there only so many new sports a child can take, and spreading your child too thin may take away from some of the benefits that they are trying to achieve.
What are the advantages of playing multiple sports?
From my personal experience, playing a broad range of sports gave me a more in-depth understanding of sports, competition and body movement. I understand the advantages and disadvantages of individual and team sports as well as the right strategy to build an elite athlete. But playing multiple sports is not for everyone!
Let’s take a more in-depth look at the advantages of playing multiple sports.
Develop a more extensive range of skills
As mentioned, each sport comes with its own set of rules and different ways of playing. The skills required to play tennis are far different from the skills you need to play soccer, for example. If your child takes part in a multitude of sports, then they will have a much better chance of picking up a wide variety of skills, making them a much better and well-rounded athlete.
A lot of sporting skills are transferable, too. Picking up newfound skills in badminton, such as footwork and racquet control, may end up benefiting a tennis player immensely. The same example could also be used with squash.
If your child wants to improve in one area of sports, then it would be worthwhile for them to enroll in several sports in the same category. To use the same example from before, a child who plays a variety of racket sports would have a much easier time transitioning into each new racket sport as they would already have some of the basic motor skills required. Jumping from table to tennis to hockey would be a little more complicated.
Team sports and individual sports
It’s an excellent idea for your child to try a mix of individual and team sports too, as each one of them presents their advantages and disadvantages. Team games are great for developing social skills as it fosters a sense of comradery and community between their teammates. Being a part of a team is not easy; your children will learn how to rely and depend on other teammates and the importance of sharing responsibility. The team wins together, and the team loses together.
In addition to this, your kids will develop valuable skills such as leadership, communication, and problem-solving as part of a team, all of which are much needed in the real world when they eventually look to start work.
Individual sports, on the other hand, are completely different. These sports are great for developing mental strength. If you’re playing a game of tennis, it’s just you and your opponent. In some senses, this can be easier as there are no teammates for you to worry about letting down. However, the challenge is learning how to motivate yourself and control your emotions when you are going through both winning and losing streaks.
Playing these individual sports fosters independence, the ability to summon self-motivation, and the chance to work towards self-mastery in a certain discipline.
Enjoy sports for the sake of the game, not just for winning
Don’t take the love out of the game! At its core, sport is meant to be enjoyed. If your child is too focused on becoming successful in one sport, then it may start to feel more like a commitment than a fun hobby. Mixing up the sports keeps it light-hearted and fun, which is especially important for younger children. If your child enjoys playing the sport, then they are much more likely to want to keep playing it in the future.
These days we are far too results-oriented and focused on success and winning. Yes, competition and striving to win is the nature of the beast, but it should not be the sole driver for participation.
The chance to learn from different coaches
If your children stay learning from the same coach for too long, then there is a good chance that they will start to stagnate, and their progress will slow down. There’s a reason the most successful players in the world work with a multitude of coaches for specific things.
Playing multiple sports at once gives your child the chance to learn from several coaches at once, absorbing their experience and wisdom.
How many sports should a kid play?
While there is no set number for how many sports a child should play, there are several factors that should be considered if you want your child to get the most out of their time. There are hundreds of different sports out there, and it would be impossible for your kid to try and compete in them all.
Playing in too many of them at one time can be very tiring and confusing for children. This can end up in a situation where they don’t get to play a sport long enough to get to a level where they can truly understand the game. It’s never fun to continually play a sport where you are learning the rules and getting to know teammates all the while. Some sports are complex and take a long time to learn before you can get to a position where you feel like you can enjoy the game.
Swimming is no fun when you don’t know how to swim correctly; baseball is no fun when you can’t hit the ball, and tennis is no fun if every single ball hits the net. Let your kids play a sport until they become familiar with it enough to say they have given it a good go before moving to the next.
Advice for parents thinking about which sports to choose or how many?
The AAP recommends that children should only specialize in a sport when they get to 15 years of age. Until then, they should be encouraged to take part in multiple sports so that they can develop their skills in a wide range of areas and become stronger all-around athletes.
Young athletes should also get plenty of rest between their sessions and should look to take off at least one or two days each week so that they avoid getting injured. This is especially important for children who focus on one sport and are at an increased risk of repetitive strain injuries.
All in all, sports are there to be enjoyed. If your child prefers to play just one sport, then there is nothing wrong with that. If they have tried many others but feel like this one sport is the only one they want to play, then just be happy that they seem to have found their passion. Maybe you’ve got the next Michael Jordan on your hands!
Thanks for reading.
How many sports should a child athlete play?
Their is no exact number of sports a developing athlete should play. Still, young athletes should play games across a broad range of skills and experiences that will allow them to fully develop their mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional capabilities.