Jun
Looking at the achievements of top athletes, one might get the impression that they have been training “forever”. This statement is only slightly untrue, as many of them have been practicing their discipline from a young age. The question therefore arises, when should you get your child interested in sports?
Is there an age limit beyond which you can intensify your physical activity and focus your child’s training on a specific discipline?
At what age should you get children interested in sports?
Sport is a broad concept. Assuming that it is a set of various forms of physical activity, you can interest a child in it already in infancy, for example by attending a swimming pool. Such behavior – in addition to a positive impact on development – also helps to strengthen the bond between the child and the parent.
The key period in a child’s life from the perspective of physical activity is the time between 3 and 7 years of age. During this time, the child experiences intensive development of both the physical and nervous system. In addition, it develops fitness traits that are useful in specific sports. For this reason, during this period, children are extremely mobile and active, which helps to direct them towards specific sports disciplines.
In the official recommendation of the Polish Society of Sports Medicine, we can read that until the age of 6, a child should practice sports disciplines based on natural forms of movement in the form of play. The child should feel joy, satisfaction and interest in movement for general development.
At what age is it better to start training?
There are no strict guidelines as to when a child can start training in a specific discipline. However, the Polish Society of Sports Medicine points out that up to the age of 10, a child should practice disciplines that develop motor coordination, agility, speed and dynamics, but do not overload the musculoskeletal system.
In turn, between the ages of 10 and 15, a child can practice disciplines that develop endurance and strength. From the age of 15, exercises that selectively load the musculoskeletal system, such as static strength exercises, can be introduced into training.
Despite the recommendations, we must not forget that when to interest a child in sports is primarily determined by individual factors.
How can you get your child interested in sports?
Children from an early age show certain tendencies to practice specific disciplines and perform specific movements. Therefore, the choice of sport should correspond to their interests and predispositions so that they can derive joy and satisfaction from training.
Parents and guardians should be patient and understanding. Physical activity should be primarily entertainment. Too high expectations and excessive pressure on a child can result in a lack of sports progress, complete abandonment of training, or even deterioration of relations with parents. The key rule is that a child should first have fun with a sports discipline and only then think about success. This rule also applies to adults. To this end, it is better to equip the house or garden with gymnastic equipment, e.g. exercise ladders, pull-up bars, climbing walls, etc. Gymnastic accessories enable psychophysical development, prepare the body for more intensive training, and above all provide great fun for the whole family!
