Sports and physical activity are essential in the physical, psychological, and emotional growth and development of children.
Sports and other physical activities help keep them in shape and also let them interact with other children, learn new skills, and develop sportsmanship.
However, with advances in technology and entertainment, children nowadays have become glued to their screens — laptops,
tablets, TVs, computers, phones, and gaming consoles.
Instead of playing basketball or taking walks, children prefer doing so through mobile, console, and computer games, which is why introducing a sport or physical hobby/activity may prove to be more difficult now more than ever.
As such, we’ll be taking a look at ways to help you effectively introduce your child to sports and other physical activities:
Lead By Example and Enjoy It Together
Children emulate adults, and if you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy or do sports and other physical activities, they’ll think that it’s normal and may even argue back when you try to introduce a sport or hobby by pointing out that you yourself don’t enjoy or engage in one either.
That said, one of the best ways to introduce a sport or hobby to your child is by showing that you enjoy it, too.
You don’t have to start playing a round of volleyball or basketball right away, you can sit down and watch a game on TV, or a live tournament at a nearby stadium.
If you think your child is ready, it might be time to dust off your old jersey and play a round of basketball while teaching your child the ropes.
But it’s important to be genuine, don’t just force yourself to watch or play a game; children are quite perceptive, after all.
Don’t Force It
If you’re a basketball fan and/or occasional player, you may be partial towards having your child enjoy the same spot as you do.
However, you have to consider that everyone has the same taste or enthusiasm as you when it comes to a particular sport or hobby.
Forcing your kid to be trained or play a particular sport may yield good results or even produce a skilled athlete, but there’s also the huge risk of
them resenting you or the sport for forcing them to participate in it.
That said, don’t force it, be open and explore as many sports and physical hobbies together with your child.
Expose Your Child to As Many Sports Possible
As mentioned earlier, it’s best to let your child see as many sports and physical hobbies as possible.
But that doesn’t mean researching a list and showing it to them. Remember to take account the limited attention span of children.
Which is why you might want to try bringing your child to a sports complex or sports place in Eastwood, Quezon City or attend a sports festival hosted by schools.
This way, your child would be able to see all the different sports activities in action, increasing the chance of them finding a sport that they might genuinely appreciate or be curious to try out.
Listen and Observe
Listen to your child, ask them if they already have any preferences when it comes to sports or physical hobbies, and also try to observe their physical capabilities, natural talents, or even with the games they play.
If your child is partial towards playing skating, basketball games, or gold on his gaming console or phone, take that as a sign of interest and have them try out those sports in real life (or at least have miniature versions or toys of those sports if they’re still little).
Conclusion
These are only a few of the many tips and strategies you can employ in order to introduce sports and physical hobbies to your child.
But regardless of whichever method you use, always be supportive of your child and ensure their safety in whichever sport they wish to try out or even choose to pursue.