Exercise is essential for everyone, young and old, and routine is a good goal. As for minors, the child will adopt a certain habit if it comes into contact with a stimulus that promotes this from a very early age. “You will feel more comfortable and see this action as something natural and indispensable,” explains Javier Rivera Triguero, sports psychologist. According to Ribera, it is not possible to speak of a specified age for starting a specific sports activity, but “the initial limit is determined by the child’s motor development to ensure optimal performance.” Ideally, they start between the ages of four and five. What should parents pay attention to before their child starts exercising? Rivera acknowledges that parents need to consider a few points when approaching minors for sports:
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- Let them choose the variety to practice for themselves.
- If you opt for them, the most helpful thing is to lean towards a modality in which they have expressed an interest, or they may have enjoyed practicing it before.
- In the future, it is advisable to allow them the option of free trade after starting a practice. However, it should always be done after an open communication process where they can state the reasons why they want to try something else. It is not advisable to force them to go through something verbally expressing their disinterest. In that case, it is better to offer them comparable alternatives that do appeal to them.
- Skill of friends or classmates can serve as an element of adherence due to the fact that they spend time with peers.
“It is important to mention the influence of sports triangle (Smoll, 1991), showing that the three fundamental pillars of the child’s sports income are: the athlete, the coach, and the parents. The coherence of these reference figures is more than decisive, as children in the early stages of development pay a lot of attention to them and it is very difficult for them to solidify an idea if they publicly show inconsistency in their speeches, ”explains the expert. It emphasizes that parents should be actively involved in their child’s sport: “Whether it’s playing with them at home or asking them to show them what they’ve learned. It is contradictory for the child to talk to a parent about the benefits of physical activity, but their routines are sedentary and passive ”.
“Parents should promote autonomous behaviors in their children related to sports, such as preparing the bag and having it carried or being responsible for their own equipment,” says Rivera. “It is also interesting to include a contingency system as a prize, depending on its successful implementation, and thus facilitate its implementation,” he adds. Parents and coaches should not focus on results, but on performance. “It should be noted whether the child is improving in his own productivity or emphasizing how positively he has enjoyed the work itself,” says the expert.
It is interesting to mention a new concept “gamification” that has been widely used in recent years. “A gamification process consists of applying the concepts of games in any other field. In this case, more on the part of technical bodies, it is important to create a set of predetermined performance levels. It is offered to the child as a video game in order to strengthen the motivational processes in it and thus find reinforcement in skills that do not generate much interest, but are very important, ”Rivera concludes.
Ten reasons to keep sports in mind in a child’s life
Nubia Almeida de Valera, clinical child psychologist, in her work with children, pays special attention to the importance of including them in sports disciplines. “Discovering the sport that attracts them is key to having fun and benefiting from the results. When a child adds physical activity to his life, he brings benefits and health to his body and brain ”, Almeida de Valera agrees. “Recognizing these benefits allows parents to appreciate the practice and encourage its application in the child,” he continues. The expert shares 10 reasons to keep sports in mind in the child’s life:
1. It adds more attention and concentration and promotes the tendency to learn for its implementation.
2. It favors order and discipline to comply with the rules and schedules established for its implementation.
3. Strengthen social skills by making friendships with the same interests.
4. It improves neural connection, which in turn translates into greater willingness to learn.
5. Perfect the ability to resolve conflict, learn to wait, respect turns and make decisions.
6. Increases responsibility in achieving athletic and academic activities.
7. It is an excellent tool for emotional self-regulation in children with a high degree of anxiety.
8. Reinforces teamwork, the implementation of goals and the achievement of common and individual goals.
9. Improves the development of self-esteem and confidence in oneself and one’s abilities.
10. Good physical and emotional health is maintained.
Sport beyond victories
The psychologist wants to emphasize two essential principles for parents who want to teach their children sports:
- Avoid imposing frustrated adult dreams on children as they would create a lot of pressure and even an emotional burden that would be far from the benefits mentioned.
- Guide them in the different sports disciplines until they get the one that best suits their tastes and interests, so that they finally feel comfortable, willing and motivated.
The concept of sport that Lorenzo Albaladejo Martínez has, a professional athlete “goes way beyond winning or losing.” For the professional, sport is “the ability to get off the ground, the ability to look over your limit and the constant struggle to be your best version every day.” “Competitiveness is conceived in a healthy way: the one who makes you superior every day and makes you fight to win like your rivals, giving preference to everyone,” Albaladejo emphasizes. The Paralympic athlete believes that those values that are passed on in childhood and adolescence will ensure that sport continues to be seen for what it is: “A fundamental tool for social transformation.”
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