Kids these days spend an enormous amount of time in front of screens. And while it has been good for them in some ways, it’s also damaging to thm in others. As human beings, we are still animals in need of regular physical activity. But modern lifestyles, dominated by indoor pursuits, make that difficult.
Fortunately, there are ways for parents to fight back. In this post, we take a look at some of the easy ways to get kids into sports. It doesn’t have to be a battle. You can make your kids more active using surprisingly simple techniques.
Get Your Child To Play Sports With Their Friends
When it comes to making your kids more physically active, peer pressure can be a wonderful ally. Children are much more likely to engage in sports if their friends are doing it too.
Next time you arrange a playdate, invite friends who like spending time outdoors. Try to get a group of them together to play a round of baseball or soccer. Then just watch the magic unfold. You’ll notice that your child naturally wants to join in and become a part of the action. Everyone else is doing it, so they want to too.
Stay Positive About Sports
Sports can be ultra competitive. And for many youngsters, their performance can become the defining aspect of their lives. They want to be the best all the time. Parents can make matters worse by attaching value to their kids’ activities. If the pressure becomes too great, it can discourage kids from taking part at all.
Parents, therefore, should take a step back and be more neutral about sports. Yes – it’s great when the child wins. But overall, your attitude should be one of indifference towards outcomes. Ultimately, you don’t care who wins the basketball match. What matters to you is that your child got the exercise that they needed. Kids will naturally want to compete and win, so forcing the issue isn’t required.
Watch Sports Together And Then Play Them Afterwards
Sometimes you can inspire kids to play sports by watching them on TV. Inspiration comes from many places but watching sports is the first step. You and your child can buy personalized sweatshirts with your sports teams on them and get involved in the experience of watching sports together. You can also buy those sweatshirts for your child’s team of friends if they’re out playing sports together, too.
Watching the masters do their thing can encourage kids to attempt to do the same, helping to get them interested in sports from an early age. It’s even better if you, as a parent, can provide opportunities for them to try sports immediately after. So, for instance, after watching a game of baseball on the TV, you could take your child outside to the batting cage to practice their shots.
Never Force
If you try to force kids into playing sports, they will naturally rebel, even if they would ultimately wind up enjoying it. Instead, find opportunities to introduce sports into their lives naturally. You don’t even have to say anything. If you start shooting hoops, for instance, you may find that your child gets involved without you having to do anything.
Drills are something you’ll want to avoid. Forced practice is a big mistake. Only perform drills if you know it is something that your child wants. Otherwise, they’ll get bored and the fun will stop.
Keep It Short
Adults often think that people must dedicate themselves for hours at a time to get better at things. But kids’ brains are wired differently. They are more plastic which means that they tend to pick up on things faster. So even a short ten-minute practice session can help to improve their skills tremendously. They don’t need to slog it out for hours and hours to see improvements. For kids, training in a hit-and-run fashion really works.
Buy Them Sports Equipment
Instead of buying your kid the latest iPhone, get them sports equipment that they can use instead. You’ll notice that the mere fact that they own a baseball bat or a glove makes them feel a sense of pride. And they are, as a result, much more likely to become interested in that particular sport.
Getting them a quality bicycle is another wonderful way to introduce children to sport, physical activity and the open air. While run-of-the-mill bikes offer transport, top of the range models can be genuinely inspiring. Mountain bikes, for instance, are highly capable and make it easy to roll over rocks.
Start Coaching From An Early Age
You can also try coaching your child from an early age. If you start the process from the age of around three, you can make it an intrinsic part of your child’s lifestyle. It’s just something that feels natural to them. In many cases, you’ll notice that it turns into a kind of passion for them. Their skill and confidence levels rise. And they begin to take practice sessions in their stride.
Educate Them About Great Sports Personalities In History
Sports create heroes – people who stand head and shoulders above the rest and provide inspiration to a generation. You can tell kids stories about great figures and how they battled their way to victories throughout history. This way, you can encourage kids to follow in their footsteps, push through challenging times, and ultimately become successful.
Join In
Children will naturally copy their parents’ behaviors. So if you join in and take part in sports, they will be much more likely to do so as well.
Next time you go to the park, take a ball or a frisbee with you and just start playing with it with your partner. Kids won’t just sit on the ground doing nothing. Instead, they’ll try to join in because they want to master the skills.
The same goes for tennis. If you take them to a tennis court and give them a racket, they will naturally start trying to hit the ball.
You can even do something simple like go for a hike through beautiful territory. Kids will soon get used to the idea and learn to enjoy the stunning natural scenery. It could even ignite a passion for the outdoors.
So, in summary, getting your kids into sports doesn’t have to be hard. There are easy shortcuts you can take.