While not all children are sports-inclined, many kids love the idea of getting into a team sport, they just don’t know how to choose.
Choosing a sport for their child is an important, perhaps life-changing decision for the whole family. Even if a child is not interested in high-pressure, high-impact sports, just being involved in a team sport is a healthy pastime. Along with the exercise, a team sport also teaches children to work together and develop their personality further.
It’s easy to get decision paralysis. Kids are already always overwhelmed with new information and choices and adding sports teams to that doesn’t help. They may need your help to make that final decision.
Not sure how to provide that help? No problem. Keep reading to learn how you can help your child choose their first sports team.
1. Play Games With Them
If your child hasn’t played any team sports yet, why not play games with them, or get them together with their friends to play games?
Playing games in a low-stakes environment, like with you or friends at the park, is a great way to introduce sports to your child before they’re ready to make their decision.
These don’t have to be full-sized games. Set up a net for volleyball, go to your local park for a basketball hoop, or consider setting up a soccer goal. Even if it’s just you and your child, you can practice skills for all of these games.
See what your child enjoys and it will help you move forward.
2. Watch Sports Games
If that’s not enough to narrow down your child’s options, why not let them watch their favorite sports team on television?
Your child may not know what it’s like to play these sports, but by watching, they may be able to determine whether or not a specific sport will be right for them.
Watching team sports can also get your child even more excited to play!
It might be even better to take your child along to a live viewing if possible. This could be a school game, a local college game, or a game in the big leagues. This way, your child will be able to see the action up close and perhaps realize that this is something they’d like to try out. At the same time, watching a game in real life will also be a nice bonding session between the child and their parents. At the very least, you’ll be making some precious memories, with your child knowing that their interest matters to their parents.
3. Ask Local Parents
If you don’t know where to start, why not ask parents in your area?
You can start with the parents of your child’s friends or classmates, but you could also use social media to connect with other local parents. This is a great time to ask about their experiences with local children’s sports teams.
You could also talk to community centers for older players, like Urban Rec, for advice on how to get your child started.
These things are particularly helpful if you’ve never been interested in sports yourself. Other parents can guide you about any local games going on or how they motivated their own offspring to stay interested in team sports. If you can manage to create a close enough social circle with other parents, this may also be a useful platform to consult afterwards. Once your child is involved in team sports, they may face several issues such as injuries, sprains, getting benched, losing motivation, and so on. With the experience of other parents to learn from, you can ask all these questions and get reliable answers.
4. Consider Their Athletic Abilities
Not all children are cut out for every sport, and that’s okay! While everyone can improve with diligence and practice, it’s good to take note of your child’s starting abilities.
Some children aren’t fast. They’d be better for sports like volleyball or pitching at a baseball game. Children with great hand-eye coordination would be great soccer goalies or lacrosse players.
You can determine your child’s baseline abilities when you play games with them. Make sure that you don’t limit your child based on those abilities, but use this information as a starting point.
Which Team Sport Is Right for Your Child?
All things considered, this is a low-stakes decision. A team sport is a great way for your child to gain fitness skills and learn teamwork, but it should be fun. Don’t turn this into a stressful choice.
Above all, pay attention to the signs your child is showing you. See if they drop ay hints about a team sport they might enjoy; they might be making friend who play certain sports or talk a lot about players, strategies, games, etc.
If you use these tips, your child will be playing their new favorite sport in no time.
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