How to get your kids interested in sports

Physical activity is one of the most important parts of a child’s health, from their well-being to their learning even down to making new friends. Helping kids incorporate sport into their life whilst enjoying it can have a huge positive impact on them. Plus, kids playing sport doesn’t just have to be for the kids, it’s also a great family bonding experience, coming to watch your kids, teaching them the skills you’ve perfected over the years and generally bonding over your similar love of it.

If your child isn’t interested initially, then getting them into sports takes some patience and some practice, all topped off with some of our handy tips. But, first finding out why they’re not interested in it, is super important. There can be tons of answers to this question but a lot of the time it can come down to how you frame sports to your kids. Some kids feel pressured to pursue a sport that they don’t enjoy simply because they feel that they should enjoy it. Others feel pressured to focus on one sport only and become the best at that chosen sport. Instead of trying lots of different ones for fun. This can end up being limiting both physically and socially and could even result in them resenting that sport in the end.

An important factor to remember is that kids are just kids. Despite wanting them to succeed in whatever it is they do, we also need to remember that them enjoying these activities is the most important thing. And allowing them the freedom to try different passions is so important. Read on to discover how to get your kids into sports.

So, how do you get your kids interested in sports if they don’t seem to be?

Lead by Example

If you’re kids see you getting involved in sports for kids and most importantly enjoying yourself, then this is likely to rub off on them. If your child sees you lazing on the couch watching TV all day, then they will have little reason to believe that exercise is truly an important part of life and something that they will enjoy themselves. Start proving the value of sports by participating in them yourself.  Kids really do lead by example, rather than doing what they’re told what to do so, if you want them to get involved in a sport then start playing it, then slowly ask them to join in and get them involved. Eventually, they should end up being the ones suggesting playing and wanting to play it more.

Do Sports Together

As previously mentioned playing sports for kids together with your child can have a huge impact on their enjoyment and involvement in the sport. Start by teaching your child the sport and then slowly turn it into something that you can do together. Just be careful to not force the sport you love onto them, remember they may love a different one to you. If this is the case, this just means you’ll get to learn about a new sport!

Keep It Fun

This is what sport, especially sports for kids, is all about. Making it fun. So when you are teaching your kids a new sport and trying to suss out how to get your kids interested in sports or simply playing with them, resist the urge to apply too much pressure to them. Yes, learning the basic rules is essential especially when they start playing with others, but, remembering the main reason they are playing; to have fun, is essential.

How Do You Make It Fun?

Stay positive about sports

Whenever you are playing sports with your kids, stay positive and don’t let your disappointment show if they don’t excel at it straight away. Just try to stay as upbeat as possible (even if they’re not doing quite as well as you would have liked or are not quite understanding the rules). 

Remember that children have short attention spans

Try to keep them entertained as kids have very short attention spans. Try changing the activity fairly regularly, even if they seem similar, to keep your children’s attention spans satisfied. This is really important when first starting out with sports for kids.

Encourage your children to be friends with their teammates

If your kid joins a new team and doesn’t know anyone then try to encourage them to socialise with their teammates. Knowing that when they go to play they will also be seeing their friends will make them want to go every week even more.

Let us know if any of these tips have helped you and your child or if you have any other tips that have worked for you to get your kids into sports!