Does your preschooler love sports? Mine does. She loves to run around in the garden in the summertime kicking a soccer ball, and she’s actually rather good at it. She loves to dance and we’ve attended dance classes, where she was the least adept in the class. My daughter is getting to the age when she’s interested in trying things out and a feels a little awkward if she doesn’t keep up with the other kids. She’s also getting to the age when many people around our neighborhood enroll their children in sports teams.
Now, I did not grow up doing group sports. In fact, none of the children in my family did. We were sports loners: I ran and did synchronized swimming and currently I am learning a martial art. So I’m rather new to this world of sports teams and competitive feelings, and I’m not so sure that I want my daughter to feel like she has to participate and excel at this early age.
I have a few variables that I consider when enrolling my daughter in a sports class. The first is enjoyment. Yes, we try new things to see if she likes them. However, if we try a sport a number of times and she is uninterested, forget it. Even if she’s good at it, you don’t want to do what you don’t enjoy.
The second is aptitude. I consider this not because I want my daughter to be a sports star but because currently she is getting sensitive about being as good as the other kids. She’s never been a coordinated child and as a very tall child I want her to feel good about her body’s abilities.
The third factor is the hassle factor. This includes cost and the timing of the sports commitments. At this stage in my daughter’s life, I’m not interested in having her sign up for sports that she needs to attend many times a week, not unless this becomes a passion for her.
The last factor is the social factor. What is the social milieu in which this sport takes place? Does it enough children to hit each other or encourage them to develop very thin bodies? If so, I’m not that interested in having a small child participate. Those are the elements that don’t work for my family. You will have others, I am sure.
For now, we’ve settled on skating lessons. We have done them on and off for a few years, but this fall she is unequivocally enjoying them. Apparently she’s also doing well at them, and this gives her a feeling of accomplishment. We’ll try a session or two more before we try something else.
Do your small children play sports? How do you decide on what sport they will pursue?