Should you push your child to play sports?
If you’re a parent of a kid who is seemingly disinterested in sports, you may be tempted to step in and give him the push. Push can mean a lot of things to different people, but when I say push, I mean encouragement. So should you force your kid to play sports? Yes, but at first.
There are some kids that are just plain agnostic when it comes to any form of organized sports. It could be because of an unfortunate experience, unintended conditioning, or just plain natural inclination on their part. There’s nothing wrong here though it could leave you the parent somewhat confused, wondering what step to take.
Of course, sports are a form of physical activity that is good for your child’s health and will have a faster route to socialization. However, forcing your child to engage in competition rarely ends well. In this case, what should a confused parent do? If you accept their desire to stay indoors, isn’t that bad for them? Well, yes, it is, but pushing them onto the field straight up might not have any good effect on anyone.
So, what’s a better way? First of all, a better word to use is “encourage” and not “push.” Pushing suggests the fact that there is an agenda that is based on the parents’ needs rather than in the best interests of the child. Encouragement, however, thrives on the fact that you, as a parent, are focused on the needs of the child.
The following are other ways you can try and convince your child to give sports a try.
Take them out to Games
This is especially for younger kids. Sometimes a child doesn’t want to engage in sports because he doesn’t know how it feels like to be interested in them. So instead of just registering them up for a sports program, you can start by trying to get them interested in sports.
This should be beyond watching games on the television, let them have a feel of a live game at the stadium. Let them know what it feels like to be in the audience and that if they are a player, they’ll get to hear the noise of the crowd and feel the emotion of knowing people are cheering them on.
Should you force your kid to play sports? Not force but influence, guide, and encourage.
This is also an opportunity to bond with your child in an intimate way. Most parents take their children to the games to bond with their children, and you should get to benefit the same. This could even spur up some quick “home games” at home. When your child sees that you are enjoying the game and that you enjoy playing with them, this will give them a new, lasting connection to you, his or her parent.
Teach them Responsibility
If your child has already started a sport and quits immediately, make him understand when he is old enough that you’re making both a financial and schedule commitment to them. So, therefore, he cannot just change his mind without giving you a valid reason as that would be unfair to you on both levels.
Also, if he is a part of a team, he has a commitment to that team, be it a sports team, troupe team, or even a school project. In such a case, you can’t just let him off the hook without explaining the consequences of his actions to everyone who is involved with him.
Give Them Incentives
Now don’t go around buying gifts and promising your kid the world to get them to play sports. That’s not what I mean. A great way to incentivize them is to think of something that could both promote the benefits of the sports and doesn’t in any way bribe them.
You could talk about the friends they’d make when they play sports and the fun they’d have during after-game luncheons.
You could promise to coach them as this is something that a child will be proud of and something you’ll both enjoy doing as a family.
Learn more about sports.
Give them Variety
Perhaps you’ve got your mind all set on a particular sport for your child? If so, it might be that your child isn’t so invested in that sport because he doesn’t like it. Also, for you, the parent, don’t be disappointed if you are from a basketball family, and your child shows interest instead of soccer.
Let your kid know there is more than one sport they can engage in. Introduce them to other sports and let them pick and choose which they like. Any sport can be beneficial to a child, no matter which one they might fall in love with, and it’s left for you to support their choice.
What if My Child Started Already and Wants to Quit? What Should I do?
According to statistics gathered by associations such as National Council for Youth Sports, American Alliance for Health, National Alliance for Youth Sports and Minnesota Youth Soccer; about 50million kids are into youth sports, and of that total, about 73percent who start to play a sport quit before they turn 13. Yes, it’s that huge.
So, it may be easy for you to get your kids to engage in sporting activities, but trying to get them to stay may not be so easy. To know whether to let them quit to not, you have to take into consideration your child’s age.
Should 5-Year-old Play Sports?
Should you force your kid to play sports if they are under five? It is good to guide, lead, and influence.
For instance, a five year who signed up for baseball or soccer may not yet be emotionally and behaviorally ready to take turns and deal with associated letdowns and disappointments of the game. In such an instance, you could tell your kid he or she could try the next season again.
However, if your child is a nine or 10-year-old with the habit of always starting and quitting, this may be a good time to push him to stick to the end. Let him know the commitments you’ve made to keep him in that sports team. Also, give him the options to either face this sport head-on, determined, or sulk through the remainder of the season/ semester.
What To Do If Sports Causes Stress In My Child?
On the other hand, if this doesn’t work and your child seems to be going through a stressful period, it may be best for you to sit back and reason if this sport is really important for your child’s development and also how the situation is affecting your relationship with your child.
Better ways to prevent this from happening are to:
- Let your kids know about the time commitment and other things that will be required of them before signing them up for sports.
- Let them know there will be consequences for not fulfilling their commitments.
By so doing, your kid will be more responsible and will not just quit from a sport he has already started.
In essence, there’s a need to force your kid to play sports at the initial stage, but if it doesn’t turn out good, you can backpedal and check out other options that will benefit him or her.
Most importantly, though, don’t think you have to try out every sport in the hopes of discovering one that’ll interest your child. That thing that your child will love may most likely be something he enjoys doing naturally, so don’t work yourself up; it will all come out in good time.
What Sports Can My Child Participate in at a Young Age
- Soccer
- Bike Riding
- Gymnastics Tumbling
- Dancing and Beginning Ballet