Sports Then and Now

Sports are a wonderful way of keeping your children fit and active while also doing something fun. Who knows, what may start out as a fun activity, may turn into a possible career path for your child. But regardless of what the outcome may be, sports are a way of getting your child off the PlayStation, out of the house, and doing something that is not only good for them, but that it’s something they enjoy too.

It’s not just about the physical aspect of it either though; they will also socialize and make friends, while learning life skills, such as teamwork, responsibility, and communication.

Here are some ideas about how you can get your children excited about sports.

Play together

One of the best ways you can encourage your child to be passionate about sports, is by sharing times together doing what you both love. Take them out of the house and have a kick around in the park, or throw the ball around. But don’t take it seriously – do it for fun. Have a laugh, share a bond, and create memories that will last forever.

Let them decide

Sometimes as parents, you have a preconceived idea as to what is best for your child. And while most of the time you may be right, it’s nice to make your child feel as though they have a choice in the decision. So rather than contacting clubs and signing your child up right away – consult with them first. Ask them if this is something they’d be interested in doing. If for example, they aren’t agreeing with your baseball suggestion, ask them if there’s something else they’d prefer doing, like basketball, or soccer.

Don’t overdo it

One of the worst decisions you could make is by overdoing it. You don’t ever want to be that pushy parent that’s so hard on their child that they no longer want to participate in anything and only do it to make you happy. Sure, sometimes being strict gets the best results – especially when competing. But if your child isn’t enjoying themselves, where does the joy come from?

Camps

There are plenty of different sports camps out there that you can register your kids too, it just depends on what they’d like to take up. You may decide on looking at some soccer camps, or perhaps they prefer baseball, or football. Camps are a lovely way to get your children to mix with other kids their age, and take a bit of responsibility for themselves.

Set an example

Another great way to get them interested in sports is to lead by example. It’s no good talking about all the benefits and positives, while all they ever see you do is sit on the sofa watching tv. Be their role model – someone that they look up to and say “Wow, I want to be like that!”. So if this means joining the local boxing club in the gym – so be it. Your body will definitely benefit from it too, as well as your child. So get moving!