Team Sports-Are They Ready?

We just signed our kids up to play baseball and T-ball this spring.  We started our kids early with team sports (age 3).  Our older one loved the idea and has been playing ever since.  Our second son played one season of soccer and hasn’t had the desire to do anything else until now.

Parenting.com has an article with some things to think about when it comes to kids and sports.  It points out some questions to ask yourself before you sign them up.  You can read the article to find all the details, but here’s a summary of the main points.

•  Will it be fun?  If the child does not want to do it, don’t force them. There’s nothing harder than dragging a child to a practice or game that they really don’t want to be at.
• Do they have good hand eye coordination?  If your child has established good hand eye coordination they will most likely do o.k. on a sports team.  If you find they need to work on this skill you may want to wait another year and get some practice in first.
• Can they stick to an activity for at least one hour?  Most games and practices will last at least an hour.  The team needs a player that can stay the entire time.
• Does your child understand the rules?  Go over the rules for the sport your child will be playing.  Make sure they understand how things will work before signing them up for the sport.  If they don’t understand the concepts you may want to wait. They must also understand and be ready to take turns.  Team sports are all about team players.
• Are they excited about meeting team members? This may be hard for some children.  Make sure your child understands that they will be meeting lots of new people and possibly a new coach.  They will be on a team with lots of different people and personalities.
• Will the sport work with your family schedule?  Consider the time commitment involved with team sports. Most sports require at least one practice and one game a week.   We want to teach our children at a young age to stick with something they start.  Don’t make a decision you may regret down the road.

Our family has had great experiences with team sports.  With careful consideration beforehand I am sure it will be fun for your family too.