Kids sports - how do you know if your child is ready for organized sports

Sports

When should your child start playing organized sports

● Fall Sports ● Spring Sports ● Winter Sports

●How to choose a sport ● Why participate in sports ● When to start sports

●Fundraising Ideas
● Sports for the child that does not like teams ● Sports and keeping Healthy

● How to locate sports programs ● Selecting Cleats ● Preparing your child for not making a team

● Benefits of Summer Camps ● Creating a sports bulletin board

How do I know if my child is ready?

It is not easy to determine the "right" time for your child to become involved with organized sports. Since Children's coordination, ability to focus, maturity level, and strength vary at different ages there is no concrete method to determine whether your child is ready.

However, it is never too early to begin teaching fundamental movements, such as throwing a ball, jumping, kicking and running. All of these activities might help your child's athletic ability in the future.

When making the decision to enroll your child in an organized sport consider your child's physical, emotional and cognitive readiness.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Will your child be able to attend practices on a routine basis?
Can your child understand and follow the rules of the game?
Will your child be able to work as a team unit rather than wanting to satisfy personal wishes?
Does your child want to do it for themselves or because a friend is participating?

Depending on how you answer these questions should help to determine your child's readiness.

What is the best age to start my child?

Assuming that you are satisfied with your child's ability to participate, five or six is generally the accepted earliest starting age for organized sports. Serious competitive sports are not recommended until the age of 8.

At five or six participation should be limited to sports that will encourage skill development through fun activities. Remember that every child has a different degree of athletic ability. Some children are natural athletes and the sport will come very easy to them do not let this discourage your child. Training will improve their coordination and therefore their performance.

Sports should be fun for your child.....

You should encourage your children to participate in sports, but never forget that it must be fun. At an early age play and fun are more important than competition.

Be sure to remember that you must balance organized activities and free time. A child needs to be able to play in an unstructured environment on a routine basis.

Can my child do something other than organized sports?

If you find that your child is not ready to participate in organized sports there are other options, such as gymnastics, dance, martial arts, and swimming, that your child could become involved in.

The most important thing for you to remember is that your child's first experience must be positive to encourage them to continue or else they will be discouraged from the sport or activity.