Clueless parent that didn't play sports as a kid

[Anonymous]

Please help me out. My parents never put me in sports as a kid so I have no frame of reference as to how to go about it, when to start, etc.

DD is almost 8 (2nd grader) and I have a rising kindergartner as well. We have dabbled quite minimally in activities, the only thing we actually "do" is skiing because we do that together as a family.

Can someone give me the instruction manual on how to go about helping my kids with sports? When do we start, what do we start with, etc?? I don't desire to go overboard but I want to give them a childhood experience with playing sports that I never had.

[Anonymous]

Most counties have rec leagues where you can sign your kid up and they are placed on a team. Where do you live?

[Anonymous]

You start in rec leagues fool

[Anonymous]

Start now. Ask if she’d like to learn a sport this spring. Use the word learn rather than play.

[Anonymous]

I would focus first on general skills and exposure - can they throw and catch, shoot a basket, etc. Hopefully this is being addressed at school PE but you can also sign them up for generalist sports camps.

After that, it's just about being active unless they request something specific. They can do an actual team sport (whatever kind of ball, usually) or a team of individuals (track, swim, gymnastics) or purely individual (dance, climbing, skating, martial arts) so long as they're active. You can find these through rec centers and community leagues, or at the facilities and gyms.

Please don't make them play baseball or soccer just because everybody does. It's a miserable time suck if you aren't really into it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You start in rec leagues fool

Step #1: Ignore trolls like this PP who have no life and just like trying to be mean.

Step #2: Watch your kids, talk to them, find out so far what activities they like. What is most fun in gym for your 8 yr old? Get your younger kid out there playing with balls or swimming or doing things and see what they like to do. It starts with what they're already interested in, even if it's not formal sports.

Step #3: What are your 8yr old's friends doing? Try joining some of that to test out some sports in ways your kid might like better because they know someone else doing it. Rec leagues (short for recreational leagues) are indeed a good way. Also summer camps that focus on a sport or activity are sometimes in 1 week or 2 week sessions, which is also a good way to try out.

And if all else fails as they approach 5th grade (which to me is when people seem to start getting serious about competitive sports yet are still in time for their kid to get good training to move forward), then you choose a sport to get them into more seriously and hope they like it.

But please do NOT become one of those parents who keeps their kid in a sport they hate because of either status, potential college opportunities (which require SO MUCH COMMITMENT from child and parent as well). There are great things to learn from your kid playing a sport, especially team sports but more individual sports like tennis, archery, fencing, martial arts and swimming too. But forcing a kid to spend endless time doing something they really don't want to do is usually more harmful all around than just trying to find other ways for them to excel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Start now. Ask if she’d like to learn a sport this spring. Use the word learn rather than play.

Why?

[Anonymous]

There are so many options out there. Look at some summer camps, esp those that do multi- sport camps. Best is to try different things to see what sticks.

[Anonymous]

One piece of advice..whatever your child chooses to play, make an effort to learn the rules, go to the practice, and work on skills after school a few times a week. Because at this age, a child's interest is partly driven by parent interest and engagement. You also won't know if your child is good at a sport in the first few weeks, practice and time is needed and that needs encouragement.

[Anonymous]

Sign up for rec soccer.

[Anonymous]

I didn’t play as a kid and I have two that have always been very into sports. Start with rec and ask your kids what they want to try. If they don’t know, ask their friends or look at the local rec leagues and sign up for whatever is closest to your house.

When they start something new, don’t be shy about asking questions. The coach is often not the best one to answer. Go and watch a couple of practices and ask parents on the sidelines. They are your best source of information.

[Anonymous]

Do your chidren actually want to play sports? Ask them. Yes, they are young, but they know.

My kids did pee wee soccer, but that's it. I didn't push it. They found their lane that was ouside of sports.

Now that they have graduated from high school, I am just so thankful they had activities they gravitated to, and excelled in, other than sports.

It is okay not to do sports, OP.

[Anonymous]

When I was a kid, my parents - who knew nothing about sports - signed me up for rec basketball. I had never touched a basketball, didn’t know I was supposed to dribble, and didn’t know the rules. I don’t recall any practices, but I remember one game where every time I touched the ball I got called for traveling. It was not fun at all

If you’re not a sports person, sign your kid up for a skills class in a sport that they might like. Unlike a rec league, they won’t be expected to know the rules and sport-specific skills — it will all be about learning.

My son had done skills classes in t-ball, soccer and basketball by 3rd grade. Basketball is the one that stuck and he was playing for a top high school team and a top club team by high school. He also tried track, cross country, and rowing along the way, and still now (in college) enjoys pickup basketball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One piece of advice..whatever your child chooses to play, make an effort to learn the rules, go to the practice, and work on skills after school a few times a week. Because at this age, a child's interest is partly driven by parent interest and engagement. You also won't know if your child is good at a sport in the first few weeks, practice and time is needed and that needs encouragement.

I did this with my kid and ended up playing and even coaching a team sport that I didn’t try until my 40s.

[Anonymous]

Ask her what her friends are playing. She's no doubt heard other kids at school talking about sports. Ask for a good team to join for that particular sport. There are always plenty of fliers that come home in their backpacks, too. Look through those.