The Millstone Times April 2019

A Young Child’s Commitment to Sports By Pam Teel

Many children today are introduced to a variety of sports before they learn to read. "Loving a sport will teach children vital life skills -- discipline, motivation, commitment, and cooperation," says Laurie Zelinger, Ph.D., a clinical child psychologist in Cedarhurst, New York. However there are some potential rough patches to work through -- from choosing the right sport, to finding a nurturing team and supportive coach, to learning to watch from the sidelines without making your kid anxious. Below are a few strategies to help kids get in the game and thrive -- win, lose, or draw. Help them Master the Basics- Most preschoolers aren’t ready for organized team sports. They’re still learning fundamental motor skills and getting those motions down is critical for excelling at sports later. If your child focuses on specific skills like batting and kicking before he/she can skip and jump, they might struggle with running and balancing efficiently. This can make it harder for them to advance in the sport and possibly lead to injury. Getting your child outside for at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day will give them time to master the basics. Some activities can be adult-led, but unstructured play, where your child calls the shots, is best. They’ll get a good workout just running around a playground and climbing on equipment. Keep your child excited about exercise by changing activities and thinking outside the box. Swimming and tumbling are good, age-appropriate options, and dance lessons, riding bikes, and hiking as a family as well.

Don’t overdue it - Sports are such a big deal that sometimes parents can go too far. Some encourage an in- tense focus on a single sport at an early age, while others enroll their child in four activities at once. However, both approaches can backfire. "Too much monotony -- one sport several times a week plus weekend matches -- can make it feel more like a job than a fun activity, but too much variety can leave them too busy to learn to love any one of them." Give them a say - "Parents often put their child in the same sports program that their friends are in, but that's not always the best approach. If your son hates soccer, for instance, or isn't good at it, he could feel like a failure, and may resist trying other sports. Explain the real commitment- Before sign-up day, make it clear to your child that they must participate for the whole season and that if they don’t t enjoy it, they can try something else next time. It's reasonable to expect a 7-year-old to see a season through from start to finish; this is the age when kids are learning responsibility in school too. Some kids may want to quit after two practices if they're struggling or it's harder than they expected, but if they stick with it for a while, their skills will improve and they might like it enough to play another season. Antonio Santangelo

Find the right league- If your 3- or 4-year-old has his heart set on a team sport, first do your homework, scope out several leagues if you can, and watch a few sessions to get a feel for it. Preschool sports should be more like play than a lesson or drill. A T-ball league might focus on running or skipping while incorporating a ball. Coaches should emphasize fun, so- cialization, and key motor skills. Four-year-old Antonio Santangelo is in love with the sport of hockey. He became interested in it when he was just a one year old after going to a NJ Devils hockey game with his family. After that, he always wanted to watch it on TV. His grandfather coached high school hockey, so he was always playing with him in the house. Antonio began skating at age 3. His parents bought him child roller skates and let him skate all around the house by himself. He loved skating. He even had the NJ Devils mascot ‘NJ’ at his 3rd Birthday Party. Antonio attended private lessons one day a week for a few months and then attended a Learn to Skate Program for a few weeks. After that he went into the Learn to Play Hockey Program at Ocean Ice Palace in Brick, NJ. It was his choice to want to go and learn how to play well and every time he went, he learned more and more skills. He’s able to skate with full control, stop, shoot the pucks into the nets, and skate over and slide under sticks. This coming summer, Antonio is looking forward to attending a hockey summer camp. He still watches the games on TV and knows all the NHL teams and many players. He just recent- ly started to play soccer but hasn’t joined a team just yet. Antonio is playing hockey because he wants to play and he wants to learn necessary skills essential to the game. It’s his choice. In the process, he is learning discipline, how to follow rules, how to play well with others, that it’s not always about the winning, and most importantly, further developing his motor skills. There’s nothing wrong with that! In the end, you are the one who knows your child best and can make a decision one way or the other that is in their best interest.

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The Millstone Times

April 2019