Reply to Sports and early elemenatry

Forum Index » Elementary School-Aged Kids

Reply to "Sports and early elemenatry"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In 1st grade my son's basketball league didn't keep score. The focus was on learning the game while having fun. It was definitely more serious in 2nd grade with an actual referee but score was kept by quarter and reset each time. The focus was still on learning the game. Some kids were more serious than others and some parents were more competitive than the kids.  It was never announced who won each quarter. Winning and losing wasn't the focus. [/quote]

My kids' basketball league also doesn't keep score at the younger ages, but I can assure you that the kids did/do (and it wasn't just mine). I think his frustration with losing is age-appropriate and he will likely grow out of it.

I will suggest if your child shows strong interest and early skill in the game(s) and wants to take it more seriously than his teammates, you might consider a different team or program for him where the emphasis is on development of skills. Developing skill in a sport and having fun are not mutually exclusive. I was the poster who got flamed on another thread for saying volunteer coaches should at least have knowledge of the game and some coaching experience before they take on a team. I guess that's because we expect our kids to actually learn the game when we invest time and money in organized sports.  Yes it's about having fun, learning about teamwork, and spending time with friends, but it's also about learning a sport and enjoying the experience of working hard and getting better at something as a team and as an individual player.  I don't think the emphasis should be on outcomes/winning games, but I think it should be about developing a skill and learning a game, and I think that can start at younger ages IF THE KID SHOWS INTEREST. If that makes me a psycho sports parent, then so be it. I also understand that not every kid/family is the same. Some kids and parents prefer a focus-on-fun environment. My daughter got frustrated with her first rec basketball experience b/c the other kids didn't seem to care about the game - they just wanted to goof off.  That's just her personality.  Great thing about the DC area is we have lots of choices.  Choose the environment that works best for you and your kid.

Anyhow, don't worry about your son - he will be fine. Continue to nurture his love for sports with a focus on skill development, not scores. As PPs said, praise him for effort, compliment his skills, encourage him to be a good teammate and to support his fellow players.  Those things will all pay off regardless of what kind of team he's on. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics