At what age should your child begin playing competitive sports? My son is a sports kid who would play any sport, any time if we let him. He probably dreams of sports when he sleeps! So, when he wanted to start playing at the age of 3, I knew we were headed in to the world of sports.
We started Brody out with indoor soccer. Poor guy had to get tubes in his ears during the season which made everything loud and in a gym full of yelling, echoing kids, that didn’t sit too well for him. He’s never played soccer again – says it’s the “loud” sport. Soccer is very popular in Oklahoma and there are a ton of leagues to get involved in.
After that we moved on to t-ball. Seemed innocent enough, right? Boy, was I wrong. The parents of these tiny kids were crazed with competitiveness. Which makes it sad when kids that small should be playing around and not being yelled at. But anyway, he really enjoyed it so we made it through that season, then another, and he is about to start machine pitch this spring and couldn’t be more excited. He’s ready to not have to hit off a tee.
The next sport he played was flag football. It was surprisingly a lot of fun to watch and has become one of Brody’s favorites. It’s a nice way to teach the fundamentals of football. So, a good starting place in that area of sports. He has played two seasons now and really has enjoyed it.
Another sport favorite is basketball. We started Brody in Upward at a local church and it’s been a good starting point for him where he has learned a lot. A very non-competitive league, which has been nice.
My son is 7, so he’s just now getting to the really competitive stages in sports. Which has been fine with me. It’s important to start off slow and easy with sports. Learn the rules, fundamentals, etc., before jumping in full time. It’s also one way to figure out what sport or sports your child enjoys the most.
Brody would ultimately like to play real padded football. But in my opinion, that is a sport for older kids, so we will wait a few more years on that.
Whatever sport(s) you chose for your kids, make sure it’s a sport that your child enjoys and not just something you think they should be in. Too many times I have seen kids crying to go home while their parent yells at them to go play. My rule of thumb – if your child wants to play, even just try it out, let them. You never know – you could have the next Kevin Durant in your house!
I’m still debating when to start my daughter in activities. We have discussed when she starts Pre-K but I know my pediatrician recommends middle school! I think I’m going to let her decide – it might be a whole different scenario with my little boy.
We just started into the world of sports. We have tried a variety of different things to see what they like. Then they have chosen if they would like to sign up for it again. For example, after trying soccer my 4 year old says never again. On the other hand, my 5 year old loves it. We only do one sport at a time to limit the craziness.