With our world forever changing. Parents constantly ask themselves, how can I help my child navigate this world? I believe that sending your child to our classes can be very beneficial not only in playing football but essential skills such as social skills, movement skills and listening skills are just some of the key benefits your little one can gain from our sessions.
After setting up BabyBallers back in 2015, I decided it was a great time to take my son Fletcher to his first ever class at age one and a half. At this age, most toddlers are learning new words and improving their vocabulary, improving hand eye coordination and starting to use their imagination with pretend play. When Fletcher started at BabyBallers he wasn’t particularly interested in the class, like most children his age, this is the first time being in a class environment and for some children even interacting with this many children can be daunting. However, I knew the benefits of Fletcher attending these class, he was interacting with other children, learning about colours and body parts and much more. At his age, these are key skills for him to learn. I was persistent with the class and started to notice the difference in Fletcher. His confidence, movement and listening skills had improved and soon found that Fletcher was paying attention a lot more to the session and getting more involved than he was before.
Aged four in the image above, at this point Fletcher was much more engaged in the class and I had created a great bond with Fletcher by doing the class together. I believe in learning through play and I got to see this first hand with Fletcher and how important play at a young age is.
Letting children play fuels their curiosity, sparks creativity and makes them overall happier. Playing also encourages better mental health and overall more resilience, preparing them for school and further. This is not only a lesson for the children but a lesson for us adults as well to be patient with our children and let them discover themselves and grow.
From going to BabyBallers Fletcher has learnt not only how to coordinate with a football, but picked up lots of other essential skills along the way. By the time Fletcher was old enough to start school, he had gained enough confidence and resilience from going to BabyBallers classes that when the first day of school came round he was ready to take on the day, to learn and make new friends. Just like he did when he started BabyBallers.
Fletcher who was 9 yesterday, celebrated his birthday doing something that he loves which is playing football with his friends. Fletcher is a happy and confident young boy who is very sociable and has made many friends from BabyBallers to school and beyond. Now playing for the Under 9’s at Southend United, I believe that BabyBallers had a big part to play in his early years that has made him the skilled young boy he is now. Without Fletcher, BabyBallers wouldn’t be where it is today and as a father, I couldn’t be prouder.
