Tips for Helping Your Kids to Enjoy Sports

Barely a day goes past when you don’t see a headline talking about a childhood obesity epidemic, or how screen addiction is robbing young people of their lives. Every parent wants their child to be healthy and happy, but how can we encourage them to take part in sport?

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Finding a Sport

If your children aren’t showing an interest in sport then it may be time to lead by example. Look for chances to try different activities in your area. Sport England run a Families Fund which allows groups to apply for funding to set up new sports – if nothing is happening in your area, perhaps you could start something?

For some children, the desire to play sport will be there but they may just be naturally quieter and less confident in putting themselves forward. It is often teachers who decide who gets a place on a team sport and some children may find a teacher or coach unapproachable. If you think this is the case for your child, then support them to ask for what they need.

Some children enjoy testing themselves physically, just for the joy of doing it. For others the social element is important and they simply enjoy playing with other children. Team sports are excellent for this side of things, as children take pride in wearing the team kit. If your child or team doesn’t have a kit, it’s well worth looking for quality football team kit suppliers such as https://www.kitking.co.uk.

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Sticking with a Sport

Once you’ve found a sport that your child really enjoys, be honest with them about the commitment needed to succeed at it, and be sure that you all know what success looks like. If all your child wants to do is to be part of the team, they will need a different level of dedication to someone who wants to get to the Olympics!

If your child is serious about their sport, then discuss how much practice will be necessary and how they will be able to fit that in to their schedule along with school, homework and other activities.

Then just keep an eye on whether they are still enjoying it – if your child stops discussing the sport, and is reluctant to practice then something may have changed. It may be time to find something else!