When the child grows up and becomes more active, some parents have a desire to send him to the sports section. They are faced with a difficult choice, in which they are often guided either by their own taste preferences, or by the degree of remoteness of the section from home. What should you look for when choosing a sport for your child?
Young children have an incredible amount of energy and it must be directed in a positive direction. This will make you calm, and the baby - cheerful, healthy and cheerful. The most suitable option is sports. But then the question of choosing a suitable sport immediately arises.
First you need to take a close look at your child. Sport must match his inclinations and character. Forget about your ambitions and consider only the interests of the child.
At what age is it better to send a child to sports?
When should you send your son or daughter to sports? - It is best to start teaching children to sports from preschool age, but this is not always possible - not all sports clubs admit small children.
If the parents plan to subsequently make sports a significant part of their child's life, it is necessary to teach children to sports from the very beginning. How to do it? Equip a small sports corner at home with a wall bars, rope and other accessories. Studying from early childhood, the child will overcome fear, strengthen some muscle groups, master the available equipment, feel pleasure and joy from the exercise.
- 2-3 years. Children at this age are full of energy, active and mobile. That is why at this time it is recommended to do gymnastics with children every day. Kids get tired quickly, so the classes should not be long, it is enough to do a few simple exercises (claps, hand waving, bending, jumping) for 5-10 minutes;
- 4-5 years old. This age is especially notable in that the baby's body type has already been formed (as well as his character), and talents are just beginning to appear. This period is most suitable for finding a suitable sports club for your child. This age is good for developing coordination. Offer your child a choice of acrobatics, gymnastics, tennis, jumping or figure skating. From the age of five, you can start classes at a ballet school or try yourself in hockey;
- 6-7 years old. An excellent time to develop flexibility and ductility. Within a year, the joints will reduce their mobility by about 20-25%. You can send your child to any kind of gymnastics, swimming, start martial arts or football;
- 8-11 years old... This age period is best suited for the development of speed, agility and dexterity in the child. It's a great idea to give it to rowing, fencing or cycling;
- From 11 years old it is worth focusing on endurance. Children after 11 years old are able to withstand heavy loads, master complex movements and hone them. Choose any kind of ball sports, consider athletics, boxing, shooting as an option;
- After 12-13 years the age comes when training aimed at developing strength and endurance will be the optimal solution.
So at what age can you send a child to this or that sport? There is no single answer here, since each person is different. There are children who, at the age of three, can ride a skateboard or alpine skiing. Others are completely unprepared for most sports by the age of nine..
There are general guidelines to listen to when choosing a sports section. For example, classes for the development of flexibility should be started from an early age, since at this time the child's body is more pliable for stretch marks. Flexibility decreases with age. But as for endurance, it, in general, develops gradually - from 12 years to 25.
If you have made the decision to send a three-year-old child to a sports club, then take into account that the bones and muscles of the child will be completely formed only by the age of five. Excessive exertion before this age can lead to unpleasant consequences, for example, to scoliosis. For kids under 5 years old, in fact, light loads and active games are enough.
Which sections accept children of different ages?
- 5-6 years old... Accept for various types of gymnastics and figure skating;
- 7 years... Acrobatics, ballroom and sports dances, martial arts, swimming, darts, as well as checkers and chess;
- 8 years... At this age, children are taken to badminton, football, basketball and golf. There is an opportunity to learn skiing;
- 9 years... From this time on there is a chance to become a skater, master sailing, take up rugby and biathlon, start doing track and field athletics;
- 10 years... Upon reaching the age of 10, children are admitted to boxing and kickboxing, pentathlon, judo. You can send children to classes with kettlebells, billiards and cycling;
- S 11 years old children are taken to sections for various types of shooting;
- From 12 years, the child will be taken to bobsleigh.
Gifted children can be enrolled in the sports section a year younger.
Choosing a sport, taking into account the physique of the child
Having made the decision to give your child to sports, you should pay attention to his body type. This is important because different types of sports take into account different features of the body structure. High growth is preferable for playing basketball, while this feature is not appreciated in gymnastics. If the child is inclined to be overweight, parents should pay even more attention to the choice of direction in sports, because the results of training will depend on this, and therefore the level of children's self-esteem. Being overweight, a child is unlikely to become a good striker in football, but he will be able to achieve results in judo or hockey.
There are several types of body structure, according to the scheme of Stefko and Ostrovsky used in medical practice. Let's look at them in detail:
- Asthenoid type- This body type is characterized by pronounced thinness, the legs are usually long and thin, and the chest and shoulders are narrow. Muscles are poorly developed. Often, in people with an asthenoid type of body constitution, a stoop is observed along with protruding shoulder blades. Such children tend to feel uncomfortable. Given these factors, it is important for parents to find a section where their child will be psychologically comfortable. Here, not only the direction in sports itself is important, but also the suitable team. It is easy for such children to do gymnastics, basketball, as well as any sports where speed, strength and endurance is emphasized - skiing, cycling, jumping, rowing, throwing, golf and fencing, sports swimming, basketball, rhythmic gymnastics.
- Thoracic type the addition of the body is characterized by equal width of the shoulder girdle and hips, the chest is often wide. The indicator of muscle mass development is average. These children are very active, they are suitable for sports related to speed and developing endurance. Various races, motor sports, skiing are suitable for mobile children, they will make excellent football players and biathletes, acrobats and skaters. You can send a child with this type of physique to ballet, capoeira, jumping, to captivate them with kayaking.
- Muscle type addition is typical for children with a massive skeleton and developed muscle mass. They are hardy and strong, which means it is worth choosing a sport aimed at developing strength and speed. Such children can prove themselves in mountaineering, martial arts, football, powerlifting, water polo and hockey, as well as achieve good results in weightlifting and workout.
- Digestive type - digestive body type is characterized by short stature, wide chest, the presence of a small tummy and fat mass in other parts of the body. These guys are not mobile, they are slow and awkward. However, this does not mean that he cannot join the sport. To instill in them an interest in exercising, choose weightlifting, shooting, hockey, athletic gymnastics, consider martial arts or motor sports, throwing and WorkOut as options.
How to choose a sport, taking into account the child's temperament?
Character also matters when choosing sports. It depends on him what success the child can achieve. For example, highly active children are unlikely to excel in sports where exercise is an endless series of repetitive exercises that require concentration. They need to find activities where the child can throw out excess energy, it is best that it be a team sport.
- Sports for sanguine people. Children with this type of temperament are leaders by nature, they are not inclined to succumb to fear, they like extreme sports, sports are suitable for them, where they can show all these qualities, show their own superiority. They will feel comfortable in fencing, mountaineering, and karate classes. Sanguine people will love hang-gliding, skiing, kayaking.
- Choleric - people are emotional, but they are able to share a victory with someone, so children with this temperament are better off finding themselves in team sports. Wrestling or boxing is not a bad option for them.
- Phlegmatic children tend to achieve good results in everything, including in sports, because their natural qualities are perseverance and calmness. Invite a child with this temperament to go to chess, figure skating, do gymnastics, or become an athlete.
- Melancholic - very vulnerable children, they may be hurt by the excessive severity of the coach. It is better to choose one of the team sports for them or give them to dance. Equestrianism is a great option, it's suitable for everyone, and shooting or sailing is also worth considering.
Which section should the children be sent to, taking into account their state of health?
If you chose a direction in sports for your children, took into account all the factors - their preferences, body type, character, then now you should pay attention to the health of future athletes. It is better to consult a pediatrician who knows the characteristics of the child's body. The doctor will tell you which sports are contraindicated in each specific case, and which will be beneficial. The pediatrician will determine what level of exercise is right for your children. Consider the recommendations regarding the choice of a sport for various diseases.
- Volleyball, basketball and football contraindicated for myopic children, as well as those who suffer from asthma or flat feet. But these sports will help strengthen the musculoskeletal system;
- Gymnastics relieve the child of flat feet and help strengthen the muscles of the back, form a beautiful posture;
- Swimming - suitable for all children, without exception. Swimming in the pool has a beneficial effect on the muscles of the whole body, including the back, strengthens the nervous system;
- Hockey contraindicated if the child has chronic diseases, but he develops the respiratory system well;
- Martial arts, rhythmic gymnastics, skiing and figure skating shown with a poorly developed vestibular apparatus;
- With a weak nervous system, classes are suitable children's yoga, swimming and equestrian sports;
- Tennis it is worth doing to develop fine motor skills and attention, but this sport is not suitable for myopic children and those who suffer from stomach ulcers;
- Horse riding recommended for convulsive syndrome, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and diabetics;
- You can strengthen your heart and respiratory system by doing speed skating, athletics or diving;
- Figure skating contraindicated in severe myopia and pleural diseases.
Wanting to introduce children to sports, you should not be afraid of experiments, there will be victories, there will be failures. However, never blame a child's failures in sports on different circumstances, because they are the result of efforts. By achieving success through their efforts, children will again strive for victories, faced with failure, they will begin to make more efforts.
Any sport is useful and important, because it develops a strong character, responsibility and discipline. The main thing is that the child does it with pleasure!
