Every year new sports sections are opened in Russia, where numerous sports for children are presented, and this is not by chance. According to statistics, every fourth child in our country by the age of 10 has a tendency to develop chronic diseases due to an unhealthy lifestyle.
To avoid diseases such as obesity, diabetes and spinal diseases, doctors recommend involving children in sports activities from a very early age. This could be family hikes, active games, outings, or regular visits to sports clubs.
What sport should I send my child to?
When thinking about what sport to send their child to, few parents realize that this choice should take into account not only the age of the child, but also his individual characteristics. Often, having sent their child to a sports section, parents later regret their choice, because the child simply refuses to study and does not want to attend a sports club.
To prevent this from happening, you need to choose a sport for your child in accordance with the baby’s temperament:
- Sanguines. These kids love to be leaders. They need praise and victories. Active sports are best suited for such children. Any speed-strength disciplines can be an excellent choice;
- Cholerics. These kids are emotional and also ready to work in a team. They will be comfortable with cyclic sports or martial arts;
- Phlegmatic people. Kids with such a character cope well with multiple repetitions of one action. This means that the best choice for them will be cyclical or complex coordination disciplines;
- Melancholic people. The coach's strictness and Spartan conditions are unacceptable to them. With the right approach, such kids can show success in fencing or shooting. Intellectual activities can also be an excellent choice for them.
To determine which section is suitable for your child, you can take a specialized test. Testing will help you determine goals and objectives, find out what kind of character your child has and choose for him exactly the circle in which he will feel comfortable.
Important! Before enrolling in the section, you must consult your local pediatrician.
Some disciplines have absolute contraindications. In addition, you will have to take tests and undergo examinations by specialized specialists.
Important conditions for sports activities
Before starting classes, children must undergo a medical examination.
Those with certain medical conditions, visual impairments, hearing impairments, or other disabilities may have difficulty participating in sports. In rare cases, a doctor may discover an undiagnosed condition that will affect athletic performance. While you should share your preferences with your children, forcing them to play the same sport that their parents once enjoyed is not a good idea.
As your child tries different sports, stay involved.
Please note the following factors.
- Safety. Does the coach require players to follow the rules and use proper safety equipment? Do players have time to warm up and cool down before and after each practice or competition? In hot weather, does the trainer pay attention to hydration, humidity and temperature? Are children taught proper movement and body position? Is the coach sensitive to concussion prevention? Monitor these aspects.
- Training style. Attend training or communicate with the coach to determine your child’s attitude towards the classes. How much does each child play and how is play time determined? If the coach constantly yells at the kids or only allows the most experienced players into the game, your child may not like it.
Overall, be positive. Emphasize your child's efforts, improvement, and enjoyment of victory or personal accomplishment. If your schedule allows, be sure to attend events and training sessions.
When kids are interested in sports, it's important to think about how exercise and play can impact their and your daily lives.
- How will this affect the amount of time the child has for things like homework, hanging out with friends, and other activities? You can get a schedule of activities and games and plot out a typical week on the calendar with your child.
- It is important for children to have rest time, the opportunity to think creatively and play freely when they are not busy with something else. This will give them the energy they need for any activity.
- How will this sport affect the rest of the family's plans? Many groups only practice and play games on the weekends, which can be a problem if your family likes to spend the weekend together.
- If you have more than one child involved in sports, how will you transport them to the training site?
Sports for preschool children
Sports for young children are activities that develop basic physical skills and strengthen the immune system. You shouldn't expect a two-year-old to become a champion right away.
Sports for preschool children are necessary for the overall development and preparation of the child for more serious activities. Doctors consider the ideal age to start classes to be 4-5 years old. But if the baby is active and healthy, classes in certain disciplines can begin as early as two years.
Most parents believe that at this age it is too early to attend sports clubs, and the only option for physical training is swimming in the pool. But this is absolutely not true. Today, many clubs invite very young children, where specially trained trainers work with them.
Sports for children - our store website interviews doctors
The sooner parents begin to pay attention to the physical education of their baby, the faster progress is also planned in intellectual development.
The development of mental abilities is influenced by:
- good coordination of movements;
- motor skills;
- general mobility of the child.
Among a number of studies conducted by doctors in the United States, of particular interest is the work linking the intensity of sports activities in childhood and the risks of developing myocardial infarction in adults.
The rapid “rejuvenation” of cardiovascular diseases raises serious concerns among experts. Therefore, they believe that physical inactivity, characteristic of urban residents, affects the early onset of aging of the body. Since the number of city dwellers increases every year, diseases begin to manifest themselves more often and earlier than it was, for example, 100 years ago.
It has been scientifically proven that sports for children aged 5-8 years is an opportunity to avoid the development of pathologies of the heart and blood vessels caused by heredity and a sedentary lifestyle in adulthood. Our website pays multifaceted attention to this issue, so here you can find the opinions of doctors, trainers and psychologists, as well as parents.
Sports for children from 2 years old
Starting from the age of two, children need increased physical activity. They run, jump, tumble and fall everywhere. And to prevent their pranks from turning into serious injuries, parents should think about structured physical activity.
Adequate physical activity at this age is exercise at least 2 times a week for 30 minutes. With age, the number of hours of classes gradually increases and by the age of 5 it can be 2 hours 3 times a week.
Training for the little ones is not a full-fledged exercise with competitions and victories. At this time, training is based on the principle of a game. The baby will run, jump, have fun, learn simple exercises and perform basic tasks.
Ideal sports for children aged 2 years and older:
- Swimming;
- Dancing;
- Gymnastics;
- Runbike;
- Children's yoga;
- Jumping on a trampoline.
At this age, it is still very difficult for a baby to remain without a mother or father, so it is absolutely forbidden to leave him alone among people he doesn’t know; you will have to study with him. Moreover, you will have to do all the exercises with your baby, because he will repeat after you.
At 3-4 years old, the child can already perform more complex exercises and understand the requirements of the trainer. This age is considered optimal for starting classes.
At this time, the following sections are already available:
- Skis;
- Martial arts;
- Tennis or table tennis;
- Golf;
- Roller Skates;
- Figure skating.
If you are afraid to send your child to these sections at such a young age, pay attention to developmental centers with a sports focus. In such centers, general developmental classes include physical education lessons, where trainers teach the little ones the simplest physical exercises in a playful way.
Information: From the age of two, children experience an active growth spurt and development.
Optimal loads will help to properly form muscle mass and the musculoskeletal system, which will protect them from health problems in the future.
General rules for choosing a section
Temperament is not the only thing that matters when choosing a sport. It is clear that if you have a sanguine person growing up, but he does not like weightlifting, then you will not send him to this sport. Therefore, the first rule is to take into account the interests and abilities of the child. If your little one loves to climb the most inaccessible slides and hangs like a monkey on the wall bars, then find out where the nearest rock climbing or gymnastics section is.
The second tip follows from the first: it is best to choose those sports for which there are conditions near your home. If you live next to a forest, then there is probably a ski lodge with a section there. And if there is a swimming pool in your area, then fate itself told you to offer your child swimming.
For example, the record holder for the number of Olympic medals - 23-time Olympic champion in swimming, American Michael Phelps - at one time began swimming only for the reason that the pool was closest to his home. And in the end I achieved such results! Interestingly, as a child, the future champion was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity. Swimming helped him cope with this.
Equally important is the cost of classes.
At the same time, do not forget to add the price for equipment and costumes. It is clear that one of the most budget-friendly activities is swimming or wrestling. But few can afford most winter sports, tennis or cycling. Especially if you plan for your child to build a career in professional sports. If you want to instill in your child a love of physical activity, then it is best to engage in sports yourself. The ideal situation has developed in the family of Anastasia Domracheva:
She herself loves skiing, watches championships and the Olympics, her husband is a candidate master of sports in this sport. It is logical that Roma’s son is not indifferent to them.
— At the age of 4, Roma began to show interest in skiing and talked about the desire to ride them himself. Perhaps because he saw his dad ride from an early age. Children repeat everything after their parents, so you need to set the right example. Then we took skis for Roma from relatives. He tried to ride, fell often, but got up and continued to ride. Now that Roma has already matured, he and his dad take part in the “Russian Ski Track”.
The situation is similar in the family of Ekaterina Cleo:
she and her husband love winter sports, and their daughter is mastering them. This year she started snowboarding, and her dad helped her with this:
- At the beginning, we learned to ride in a straight line, dad took the rope in his hands, my daughter took the second tail from it, and so she learned to keep her balance. Surprisingly, after several falls and landings on her butt, my daughter began to help herself, control her arms, and bend her knees. The next time I stayed on the board without any problems and didn’t even fall.
Don’t forget to regularly “feed” your child’s motivation. Our author Yulia Maksimenkova
tells how he keeps his son interested in karate:
“The coach, noticing Zhenya’s success, began to persuade us to attend the tournament. Without much hesitation, we agreed. For my son, this became another incentive to study well, because this is the only way to achieve first place. The son was focused, so he received gold. However, even if he lost, I would still think that we didn’t come in vain. Failure in competitions allows a child to understand that to win it is necessary to try.
Find out if the section you choose offers trial lessons. Enroll your son or daughter in different directions so that the child can choose what is closest to his liking. Also talk to a possible coach and pay attention to how he communicates with his players.
What about your health?
Before starting classes in the section, you will most likely be asked to undergo a medical examination. This is necessary so as not to harm the growing organism. Keep in mind that most sports have contraindications, and this is not a joke. If your baby has any health problems, then talk to your pediatrician: he will probably recommend you a certain sport for preschool children.
What to do if your child wants to quit sports
This is not an easy question. On the one hand, a rare parent’s heart does not flinch when a precious child chokes on tears and asks to be taken away from classes. On the other hand, children must understand that it is difficult to achieve results without overcoming oneself and making any effort. After all, you need to build character!
Psychologists advise several options. The first is that you take him, but he will do another sport, or you remain in conditional skiing, but change the coach. The second is that you agree with the baby that he will leave until the end of the year, and then together you will decide what to do next. Third, you simply pick him up from class. This option is suitable if you have a fairly old child and if you understand that this is his informed decision. This is what happened to Yana Atracheva’s son
. He played football for several years, won matches and showed promise, but then realized that this was not his dream:
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“In the end, the child said that playing football, of course, is interesting, but he doesn’t see the point in it, because he doesn’t want to devote himself entirely to the sport. This is how modern children reason. And I firmly believed that he dreamed of becoming a football player. Whose desire was this in the first place? My husband and I realized that football was only in our plans.
What sport should I send my 5-6 year old child to?
Children who have reached the age of five are already absolutely ready for classes in the sports section. This is exactly the age when a young athlete begins to understand the meaning of team play, adequately perceive criticism from the coach and fulfill his requirements.
If you are thinking about what sport to enroll your 5-6 year old child in, team sports can be an excellent choice, these include:
- Football;
- Hockey;
- Water polo;
- Golf;
- Rugby;
- Tennis;
- Volleyball;
- Basketball;
- Badminton;
- Handball etc.
In preschool age, training should be moderate. A growing body may react negatively to increased loads, and then instead of benefiting, exercise will only bring health problems. If, while watching your preschooler, you notice that he begins to sleep poorly, is often capricious and gets tired quickly, talk to the coach about reducing the load or changing the section.
Information: According to statistics, children who study in sections from the age of 5 have strong immunity, are more diligent in class, are disciplined and better master the school curriculum in the lower grades. In high school, they also perform well academically and are less likely to be influenced by bad company.
From birth to one year
Exercising with mom. The first thing that pediatricians around the world recommend is to do infant gymnastics literally from the cradle. Perhaps morning exercises will seem too easy to you, but this is an invaluable contribution to the development of the baby. Complicate it with age, encourage the child’s physical activity, encourage him to crawl, walk, and get involved in outdoor games that he initiates.
Breast swimming . Scientists have been writing about its benefits since the 1970s. Since then, this physical activity has turned from a curiosity into a favorite activity for mother and baby. You can bathe your child at home as soon as the umbilical wound heals. Once your child reaches two months of age, you will be welcomed to special classes in shallow baths, and from six months onwards, you will be welcomed in a special swimming pool.
Baby yoga. Suitable if you yourself want to exercise with your baby. Under the guidance of a trainer, you will toss and stretch your mini-yogi, and at the same time learn to relax yourself. You will definitely like child's pose, we promise.
We recommend reading: Should you take your newborn to the pool? Mom's personal experience
Sports for school children
School age is the time to get involved in sports. Many schools have sections where children can study with classmates. There are also clubs for children in schoolchildren’s homes, where classes are held completely free of charge. In addition, schoolchildren can go to a section from specialized sports schools, where they prepare for admission to sports boarding schools.
The choice of sports for school-age children is truly great. Already in the first grade, children can practice at a professional level, preparing for a sports career. Thanks to the national program “Sport is the norm of life,” it is planned to build dozens of sports facilities throughout the country until 2024 to attract schoolchildren to a healthy lifestyle.
Cycling
Cycling or otherwise cycling is perhaps the most favorite sport among children. In all the courtyards, kids are riding around on bicycles. Cycling is recommended from 3-4 years of age. Professional involvement in sports allows you to develop endurance, leg strength, and coordination. Teaches the child to correctly distribute power and make strategic decisions. It has a great effect on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Sports require one-time investments related to the purchase of a bicycle and equipment. It is a safe sport.
Sports for children 7 – 10 years old
Primary school is a period of serious restructuring in the rhythm of life. Often, children in the first years of school suffer from overwork and distracted attention. These problems can be easily solved with physical activity. Regular classes increase stamina and performance, contribute to the assimilation of the curriculum and help the student to develop comprehensively.
Sports for children 7-10 years old include almost all sections, with the exception of extreme ones with a high risk of injury. The choice of section depends on many factors, but the main thing here should be the desire of the child himself, because at this age he can already choose what he likes.
It is noteworthy that modern children often choose sections that are completely incomprehensible to their parents. For example, girls may decide to go to boxing and boys to weightlifting. But parents do not need to be afraid of such a choice, because history knows many champions who went to the section against the wishes of their parents.
The best choice at this age would be team sports, because the student already understands what a team is and can fully participate in the life of the team.
The most popular clubs at this age:
- For girls - artistic gymnastics, dancing, athletics, figure skating, synchronized swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, volleyball, etc.;
- For boys - football, tennis, basketball, martial arts, hockey, weightlifting, pentathlon, etc.
Whatever sport your child chooses, you should not expect great victories and achievements at this age. At the age of 7-10, children are just learning to work in a team and learn the basics of sports discipline. At this stage, it is important that the child likes the classes and goes to the section with pleasure.
It is important for parents to understand that a young athlete can change his mind at any time and decide to engage in another discipline. In this case, there is no need to force him to attend the section, it is necessary to support him and show that he has the right to independently decide what sport to engage in. If your child has a hard time with physical activity, pay attention to intellectual sports, such as chess, checkers or Go.
Important! At this age, it is necessary to choose not so much a section as a coach. Only a qualified and experienced children's trainer will be able to not only interest the student, but also provide the correct individual training schedule.
From one to three years
Give freedom of movement. As soon as the child begins to actively crawl, let him go free swimming: at home and away - on the floor and on the playground (stock up on pants and tights - they will be wiped clean). Is the child driven by an interest in research? That's wonderful, give way. Your job is to keep her safe. Remove small items from access areas and screw chests of drawers to the wall.
Look for sports everywhere. Set up a physical education corner at home or set up an “Early Start” type pyramid. Walk with your baby as much as possible, take a ball with you, master a balance bike, scooter, or bicycle. Don’t ignore the sports grounds: there are horizontal bars and interesting exercise equipment even for the little ones!
We recommend reading: Physical education for a child: 6 simple exercises that can be done at home
A good option is to install a home sports and gaming complex.
Imagine how much joy a child will have when he gets such a bright playground from the Fairy online toy store . The baby’s physical activity will immediately increase significantly.
Along with this, fantasy will also develop. See all the fun activities you can do at this sports complex. Slide down the wavy slide and try to climb again. Swing on a rocker in the shape of a comfortable chair. Climb up and down a climbing wall. A sports and gaming center can be installed in the courtyard of the house. And in the summer, take it with you to the dacha. The complex, like a construction set, is quickly assembled and disassembled. If desired, you can use one slide or assemble only a swing. At two or three years old, your baby can play sports right at home, develop coordination and dexterity.
Fencing
Fencing is a combat with one of the types of bladed weapons: rapier, saber or sword. Fencing classes develop in a child speed, endurance, agility, strength, reaction, self-control, and the ability to make instant decisions and actions in any situation. You can practice from 6-8 years old, not earlier. Fencing contributes to the development of not only physical qualities, but also intellectual and tactical ones. This hobby will be very interesting for your child. Fencing is a low-injury sport. It may be useful in the future, even if it does not become a profession. Fencing experience is in high demand in the film industry.
Kung Fu (Kung Fu, Gong Fu, Wushu)
Historically it appeared as martial gymnastics. Nowadays it is a full-fledged form among martial arts. Develops agility, endurance, reaction, strength. Allows you to instantly make decisions in combat conditions. It is better to send children to kung fu from the age of 3-4 years. At an early age, the child will be able to achieve unparalleled stretching without any painful exercises. Kung fu is not only a sport, but also a philosophy. If training is aimed not only at physical development, but also at spiritual development, then the child will learn kindness and the concepts of justice.
