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By Barry Feldman, special to
MyFolsom.com
Child development experts suggest children spend an hour or more
each day engaged in physical activity. Your challenge as a parent is
to ensure the activity is age-appropriate and therefore beneficial.
A positive, enjoyable athletic experience might help your son or
daughter develop a love for physical activity and embrace fitness
for the long run. The youngster could develop an understanding of
the principles of teamwork, learn good sportsmanship, and gain a
healthy respect for rules and structure.
Share your passion for sports with them. Tune into what type of
activities your child likes. Try to reduce their stress by stressing
it’s far more important to try your best than be the best.
The name of the game is fun.
The key to helping your child realize the benefits of sports is to
understand that fun comes first. “I always caution families to not
be over-zealous and encourage them to keep child-oriented goals in
mind,” says Dr. Shikha Garg, M.D., of Mission Care Pediatrics. “You
want to make sure that children aren’t necessarily playing to win.
They should be doing it to have fun.”
Recognize the risks.
Societal changes have affected how families approach play. Free and
unstructured play without parental supervision has steadily
declined, giving way to organized sports programs, which are now
offered to children at very early ages. Well-wishing parents who
value the benefits of fitness (and lament the decline of
school-based PE classes) are fast to embrace the programs.
The American Academy of Pediatricians reports that organized sports
can create demands and expectations that exceed the capabilities of
young participants. They claim when the demands of a sport exceed a
child’s cognitive and physical development, the child’s apt to
experience stress, frustration and feelings of failure.
Getting the best results.
Dr. Garg and her pediatric peers encourage parents to assess their
child’s developmental readiness relative to the specific sport under
consideration. Doing so requires recognizing the intellectual
capacity and maturity of your toddler, preschooler, or early
school-age kid.
A healthy model for toddlers focuses on play and exploration.
Toddlers typically respond well to a “show and tell” format. “You
have to remember children at this age group have a shorter attention
span,” says Garg. “The structured activities should be limited to 15
to 20 minutes and the majority should be free play.” The less
distractions that take place in the setting, the more likely the
instruction will be effective.
When children grow slightly older, they’re better able to comply
with the demands of a sport and stay motivated. However, all young
athletes will get greater benefits from their endeavors when there
is a healthy combination of fun, good leadership, and lots of
support.
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