When my son was five, I signed him up for a preschool soccer team. The games were super cute. The practices were a bit chaotic with crying children who wanted their turn or didn’t want to go on the field. When some of the children did not want to go on the field, the parents decided to encourage by dragging the child on the field and helping him kick the ball. This made it difficult for the kids able to go on the field, independent of parental help, to get time kicking the ball. This, of course, was more a coaching problem than a parent problem. However, it did make me a bit hesitant to sign up my preschool aged daughter this year.
I went ahead and decided to sign her up. Only this time, I was asked to coach. I was not asked due to my knowledge of soccer or athletic ability. I have neither. I was asked because they needed someone to coach and could not find anyone. My son knows a lot about soccer so I figured with his help I could pull it off. We decided to make it so much fun and so interactive that every child would have a chance and want to practice. So far, so good. The few kids unwilling to come on the practice field soon decided it was more fun to practice than sit on the sidelines. I never made the rule that parents were not allowed on the field. I did say that it would be best if the child gained the independence to walk on the field on his own. I explained that it allows the child to accomplish a sense of independence and allows the proper time to coach and attend to all children. Everyone understood and the kids all have come around and are enjoying the game.
Have you ever coached a pee wee team? What challenges have you faced?