“A healthy mind in a healthy body” - Juvenal.
“It is necessary to maintain the strength of the body in order to maintain the strength of the spirit” - Victor Hugo.
This article is devoted to how to instill in a child a love for sports and physical education. What if a child wants to quit sports? Do I need to force? You will receive answers to these and many other questions from this article.
Where to begin?
The very first thing to do before sending a child to any sports section is to visit a doctor and find out if the crumbs have any contraindications.
Secondly, parents need to decide why they want to send their child to sports.
There are two options here:
- to strengthen health and develop such qualities as agility, endurance, flexibility;
- to build a successful career as a professional athlete in the future.
Based on this, the requirements for the athlete will differ.
The third step will be sport selection, and here again there are options. Most parents choose their own sport for their children. In general, this is wrong. It is better to provide the kid with several options, among which he will choose the one he likes best.
Swimming is a good base for any sport and for the body as a whole. It perfectly develops the musculoskeletal system. You can send a child to this sports section as early as 5 years old.
Why do children need sports?
Adolescence is a period of active physical and mental development, at this time the formation of many organs of the body is completed, the formation of the character of a maturing personality takes place. Physical culture and sports activities contribute to the harmonious development of a teenager both from a physiological and psychological point of view.
Physical culture and sports contribute to the formation of muscle mass, make the ligaments more elastic. Physical education teenagers have more developed coordination. Under active loads in boys, the formation of a male type of constitution occurs faster. Good physical shape implies a strong physique, endurance, agility, provides the necessary strength to study and communicate with friends.
Sport forms a strong will, purposefulness, teaches us to overcome difficulties and move towards a goal in spite of any circumstances. The athlete's focus on the result pushes him to train with special effort, to sacrifice a lot in order to achieve victory. Sport is the art of winning by overcoming incredible difficulties.
Many sports involve teamwork that fosters communication skills and camaraderie. In addition, children involved in sports will be far from bad habits.
Why don't kids want to play sports?
- The teenager avoids difficulties, is afraid of losing. This happens when a child is not confident in himself, he does not have the ability to concentrate and overcome difficulties. Defeat or failure is a blow to their sick self-esteem. Sometimes moms and dads themselves exacerbate the situation with their statements about unjustified expectations.
- Feeling unwell after exercise. As a rule, children quickly recover from training, but they also get tired quickly. The body of a teenager is exposed to great stress, so it is possible that he will feel unwell after playing sports. It is more difficult for those who came to classes at an older age due to lack of physical fitness.
- Overwork due to study. Lessons, homework, and in high school and exams take a lot of energy.
- The parents chose the wrong sport, not listening to the advice of psychologists and to the opinion of the baby himself. Imagine that a boy dreams of becoming an Olympic boxing champion, and he was sent to swim, or a girl who dreams of a career as a skater is enrolled in track and field athletics. When choosing a sport for a child, it is important to consider his physique and the type of nervous system. Some prefer team sport, others - individual (singles).
- In some cases, children do not want to go to the sports section just because they do not know why they need it. Here the task of the parents is to arouse the child's interest in sports.
How to get a child to play sports?
First, you need to establish the reason for the reluctance, then try to eliminate it.
Lack of self-confidence can be corrected paying attention to, though small, but still achievements and victories, be sure to praise for it. Any comparison of a teenager with other children and with anyone in general is prohibited. In case of an unsuccessful performance in the competition, support him, find positive moments, be sincerely proud of your child, because the greatest victory is victory over yourself. Be sure to tell your son or daughter about this. Convince him that next time he will perform better, but today the athlete has gained invaluable experience.
Do not forget to undergo an annual examination, and if you experience any ailments, be sure to contact a specialist.
If the child is very busy in school and other circles, then you need to either reduce the number of classes, or instead of professional sports, engage in lighter sports, without spending too much time. For instance, doing morning exercises or practicing at home on the Swedish wall will be enough to gradually involve the child in physical education.
Of course, parents need to know how to persuade a child and how to encourage him to play sports. Draw his attention to the fact that the opposite sex is more like a sports figure, explain that successful athletes are very respected people. Also inform that athletes have great privileges at the university where the teenager will study.
Motivation to practice
Various gifts are not a way to "lure" a child into sports. This is completely wrong and fraught with consequences. The result of this bribery will be further blackmail on the part of the baby. The lesson itself will not give him joy, and he will "serve" training just for the sake of a gift. In this case, you should not expect outstanding results. One can only hope that over time, spending a lot of time in training, the child will get involved in them and begin to take sports seriously.
Screaming and punishing is not motivation. You need to patiently and skillfully inspire your child to move forward towards their goals.
The hardest part is getting through the initial phase. It is necessary to support the child especially strongly when he just started going to the sports section, it will become easier in the future. The first success will inspire the teenager, he will have a burning desire to work harder to improve his performance.
It will be great if the child begins to play sports together with friends from school or yard. The desire not to appear weaker than your friends is a serious motive for a child from 7 to 10 years old.
Careful attention to the child will allow you to understand him correctly and choose the sport that is fully suitable for the teenager. It's okay if things don't work right away with sports. Some guys do not come to it immediately, but at an older age. Perhaps your child will begin to study as an adult.
Psychologist's advice
The most important thing parents need to know is that they themselves are role models for their children. The lifestyle of mom and dad should match what they require from the child.
It is better if the child is taught from childhood to physical culture and sports. A morning jog with the whole family and various joint active games are a great way to motivate your kid to play sports.
When your child is already involved in sports, you must definitely support him and motivate him to achieve better results. Attend your child's competitions, show interest in your teen's results and success.
From how many years to send a child to sports and how to provide him with a selection process, see the following videos.
To help your child choose a sport, see the following videos.
