Forcing Sports on Kids

Some kids love sports. They play baseball and football in the fall, they play soccer in the spring, and they are always on the go. Other kids can simply won’t touch a ball even if they are bored to death. Some kids are simply more inclined to be active in sports while others are not. That doesn’t mean that your child can’t be active if they’re not in love with sports, you’ll just have to work harder to find something that they will enjoy.

Team sports are an excellent way to get kids moving and to learn to play together with other kids. The earlier you can get kids into these types of sports, the more likely they will be inclined to enjoy them. Soccer is one of the easiest sports to start kids in as it doesn’t require much skill to play at the basic level (don’t get me wrong, good soccer players have as much skill as others in any sport). It teaches kids the basics of teamwork and playing hard.

However, as your child grows, they may find that they’re simply not interested in traditional team sports. If your child doesn’t want to play in a team sport, don’t force it on them. Just because you think they’ll be the next all star doesn’t mean that they’ll want to be (chances are pretty good they’re not going to be as good as you imagine anyways). Forcing sports on kids is the same as forcing food on them - they’ll learn to hate it.

Just because your child doesn’t want to play certain sports doesn’t mean you should let them become completely sedentary. Being active and getting some form of exercise each day is still important. You’ll have to look for some different alternatives, and it may require that you are active with them as well. Participate in active activities with your child if you need to in order to help them maintain an active lifestyle.

Search for sports that are outside of the norm. Just because a child doesn’t enjoy playing soccer or basketball doesn’t mean they won’t enjoy a sport that is more solo in nature. Try tennis, swimming, gymnastics, or karate (in any of its various forms). There are seasonal sports as well such as skiing/snowboarding, water sports, and mountain climbing. There are plenty of other options as well.

If your child has tried all of the individual sports and team sports, then simply maintaining an active lifestyle is the end goal. It doesn’t have to be organized. Going on daily walks (with you or alone) or running around outside are perfectly great ways to be healthy. Hiking or swimming on a regular basis are also great options to stay active. While an organized sport can help teach other lessons, work on an active lifestyle.

Don’t oversubscribe your kids. Some kids play multiple sports in a week, and that means that you’re constantly driving them all over the place. If you have more than one child, you may find that you’re simply a chauffeur and you never have time to spend at home with your kids. One sport at a time is plenty to keep your child active and to keep your sanity. Burnout will occur if you do too much.

Find something active that your child enjoys. Don’t force a particular sport on them, but rather help them find something they like to do - there much more likely to enjoy it later in life as well.