All experts are sure that the main thing is to take into account the desire of children
We asked the doctor, coaches and psychologist to tell us at what age you can send your children to sports, what to pay attention to when choosing a section and how to understand what exactly is suitable for your child.
Almost every parent tries to send their children to sports. Some want their offspring to study for general development, others raise future champions from childhood. But it often happens that adults choose a discipline to their taste, without paying attention to the physical characteristics or character of the child, and most importantly – to his desire. As a result, it happens that boys go to hockey, which they hate, and girls go to gymnastics or dancing, although they wanted to run with a ball. In order for sports to bring not only benefit, but also pleasure, it is very important to choose it correctly.
According to Olesya Arslanova, a pediatrician and orthopedic traumatologist at the ORTEKA salon chain, it is possible to engage in the physical development of a child from the age of three. You need to start with simple exercises, and from the age of 4-5 you can think about choosing a sports section, if there are no serious medical contraindications for this. If a child has heart disease, asthma, flat feet or other diseases, it is recommended to consult a doctor who will give advice on sports Loads. In case of scoliosis, posture disorders, swimming and water polo are useful for the child. And for visual impairments, badminton and tennis are suitable.
Olesya ArslanovaIf you find a talent for some sport, be sure to develop your child, but if your coach does not see an Olympic champion, do not train through pain and suffering – balance is important everywhere!
When choosing a sport, it is important to carefully analyze the child’s desire, social needs and physical characteristics, the expert believes.
“Leg length, height, weight, flexibility and coordination of movements can affect the choice of a sports section. Different body types can make certain sports more suitable,” says Olesya Arslanova. “For example, children with outstanding flexibility and ease in performing acrobatic movements can be good candidates for artistic or rhythmic gymnastics, figure skating, synchronized swimming. Fight. Children with a more fragile physical constitution can avoid contact sports to avoid injury. And a child with outstanding physical characteristics and increased endurance may feel confident in strength sports such as rugby or aerobic sports, such as running.”
An orthopedic traumatologist identifies several sports that are considered the best for overall development:
- Swimming: develops coordination, strengthens muscles and the cardiovascular system. The back becomes stronger, which significantly affects posture.
- Gymnastics: helps to improve flexibility and coordination. It develops strength and endurance, teaches children to better control the body.
- Athletics: helps develop strength, endurance and speed, teaches children basic running skills, strengthens the muscle corset, and has a positive effect on posture.
- Rhythmic gymnastics: contributes to the development of flexibility, confidence, agility and grace.
- Figure skating: responsible for balance.
- Cycling: helps to strengthen the muscles of the legs and back, contributes to the prevention of foot diseases.
What do coaches advise?
Dancing is considered one of the best types of physical activity for children: it develops coordination, flexibility and musicality. Evelina Antipkina, a choreography teacher for children from three to nine years old, says that when enrolling children in a group, first of all, she looks not at physical abilities, but at the child’s interest in dancing, which can lead to improvements in the body. First, she asks the children for their name and age if they want to dance. If the child does not answer the first two questions, then there are doubts that he will make contact in the lesson, so Evelina suggests that parents also come to the starting lesson.
“The first thing I look at during the lesson is enthusiasm and “involvement”: the performance of elements, attention to comments, whether the child is distracted by other children. Here it is important to correlate the newcomer and the formed group in order to understand whether he will be able to adapt,” says Evelina.
If you notice that the child thinks quickly, has a good reaction speed and coordination, pay attention to sailing – it is most appreciated there.
“Children’s sports schools of the Olympic reserve pay attention to team sports, because they are aimed at developing coordination and speed of decision-making,” says Ivan Gureev, sailing coach, founder of the Bora Sailing Club school. – In Olympic sports, there are different sailing classes of yachts for certain body types, athletes perform individually or in pairs. Sailing accepts children from 7-8 years old. Thanks to sailing, the child shows leadership qualities, develops discipline, the skill of quick decision-making, the ability to negotiate and work in a team.”
Golf is not the most obvious children’s sport. But recently it became an Olympic sport, and in 2016 Russia was represented at the Games by the only athlete Maria Verchenova.
“There is a stereotypical opinion that golf is an expensive sport. But we have the opportunity to work with children on a budgetary basis, we fully equip the golfer and provide everything necessary, – says the head of the children’s golf school “Peterhof” Maxim Levushkin. – In our school, you can study from the age of 7, come to paid classes in a group for preschoolers. At a younger age, a frequent change of activities is necessary, the whole process is diluted with general physical training and outdoor games. then pay attention to such qualities as speed, endurance, coordination, flexibility. If a young athlete is poorly trained, these qualities can be improved through physical exercise. Height plays a key role: the distance of the blow directly depends on it. And when performing a blow, the lens of the eye is trained: the ball moves away in flight, and it must not be lost.”
Sport can influence behaviour and academic performance
Nara Sovkova, a neuropsychologist, adaptive physical education coach and author of the NEURO-Trampoline® method , is sure that sports develop not only physical fitness, but also affect the functioning of the brain and nervous system.
“With the help of physical activity and gross motor skills training, we can correct children’s behavior, academic performance, improve speech and everyday skills, develop attention, perseverance, concentration, understanding and memory, reduce anxiety and aggression, work through fears, increase the child’s self-esteem and intellectual abilities,” says the expert. – Regular training triggers neurogenesis: it stimulates the birth of new neurons and neural connections. The brain begins to receive more oxygen, metabolism improves. Sport, in the absence of direct contraindications, is mandatory for children with delays in mental, speech, and emotional development.”
Nara Sovkova advises parents to take a closer look at the following disciplines:
- team sports – football, volleyball, basketball and others – develop communication skills;
- swimming improves coordination, develops the respiratory, nervous, cardiovascular systems, stimulates neuro-psychological development and trains the immune system, reduces tension in the body, teaches concentration and control of emotions;
- martial arts give an outlet for emotions and physical energy, combine elements that are important for children – algorithmization, predictability, physical interaction with other people;
- horseback riding is suitable for emotionally restrained, introverted children;
- Due to vibration, the trampoline affects the joints and stimulates the work of the deep structures of the brain. The production of own stem cells is activated, lymph flow increases by 14 times, blood supply improves, the heart works better.
Let the child choose for himself
Existential psychologist and gestalt therapist Olga Streltsova urges to take into account the desire of the child, not the parents, when choosing a sport.
Parents often transfer their dreams to their children, wanting to see them as champions, great athletes. Her mother wanted to be a ballerina, so she would send the girl to ballet. Dad never achieved success in boxing, now his son must do it for him. If the child does not want to go in for the sports that you offer him, and shows his “I don’t want to”, accept this reality,” says Olga. – There is no need to force him, there are many other opportunities in the world, be more flexible. Notice who has more burning eyes: the child or you? Do not resist even if you have a sports dynasty and “football is the best thing that can be for a boy”.
The psychologist advises to study the child more carefully and observe what fascinates him. If you managed to notice some interest, you can watch this sport live – go to competitions or training, and then be sure to discuss what it represented and how it really was. According to the expert, it is important to understand that there is no definitive answer to the question of which sport is right for your child:
“A shy child should try a team sport, because he will have the opportunity to learn to interact with other children and make friends with them. But it may turn out that he will not fit into the structure of the team. Then you need to switch to individual or paired types. About more energetic and mobile children: more often they are recommended to engage in martial arts or individual sports, such activities calm the psyche a little. But it also happens that an active child can get bored with a lack of interaction and quickly lose interest in classes.”
According to the psychologist, the main thing when choosing a section is to try different things and be patient.
“You can talk as much as you want about which sport is suitable for a particular temperament, but there is one main thing – the child should do what he enjoys himself. And for this you need to try, – the expert believes. – And it may turn out that the child will choose the “not his” sport. At this moment, it is important not to reproach him for this, but to make it clear that everyone has the right to try and look for what suits him.”
