Published By: Satavisha

Six Parenting Strategies To Develop A Child’s Athleticism

It is practically your job to cheer on your little athlete and openly promote sport specialization at an early age.

While it may be difficult for you to remember what it was like living in a smaller, growing body, it is essential as parents and coaches to acknowledge limitations to assist younger athletes to achieve greater goals. Kids learn the very basic aspects of sports like motor skills, flexibility, balance, and hand-eye coordination being fine-tuned between ages 5 to 10. But before you put your child’s athletic career in the hands of trainers and coaches, remember most of what determines a child’s athletic success begins from home. Read on to find out six parenting strategies to develop a child’s athleticism.

Encourage them to play

Kids these days do not play often when they are at home. Social media, video games, and the latest smartphone applications tend to keep them indoors and sedentary. Parents need to take it upon themselves to power down their kid’s devices and encourage them to play outside more frequently. Once your child is outside, let them explore and move with whatever activities they like (as long as they are safe and reasonable, of course). Even simple games like wall ball can go a long way toward building your child’s athleticism.

Let your child lead

If your child wants to explore a new sport, be supportive of his interests. Take a break, add additional training and coaching, or make any other athletic adjustments if deemed necessary.  Let it be not just his choice, but also, his suggestion.

Keep organized sports fun

Sports offer kids the opportunity to move in different directions and planes to compete and develop confidence. But as a parent, you must not forget the significance of the “fun factor” that sports can induce. Although kids certainly benefit from the structure of organized sports activities, they also need to experience the “play” aspect of playing sports. Overzealous parents can zap the fun right out of youth sports.

Allow them to fail

As a good coaching parent, you must help your kids develop character and confidence as they mature because they learn how to deal with both success and failure in sports. Sports are about challenges. Sometimes, those challenges will get the better of them. Failure in sports teaches kids several crucial life lessons.

Encourage accountability

You want your child to be accountable for his performance. Taking accountability for their play and not putting blame on teammates, coaches, or officials help athletes be more motivated to try harder, learn more, and play better the next time.

Find an outlet for strength training

Offer your child an opportunity to enhance their athleticism, by enabling them to enhance motor learning. The key is to expand your thinking of strength training to include more than just a heavy barbell. Find a certified trainer who has extensive experience with the age group your child falls into and who prioritizes safety and long-term development over instant results.

Note that the basic areas of growth you must target are endurance, strength, flexibility, and coordination for your young athlete.