I have a four-year-old son. He is very physically active and has excellent motor skills. I was far better at most sports at his age. Most of our friends have their kids into sports, and like most "soccer moms," they drive from event to event - especially on the weekends. We tagged along for a few football games, and many things impressed me during and after the games. The most obvious was that many kids would have been elsewhere and whose parents were an enthusiastic part of the group. Parents were also shouting and taking away. No less among their children. That's not right, I thought; I'll have to take a look at it.
By now, you have been saying that "this guy must be watching the game in some rough area of the city," but nothing could be further from the truth. No, there was no problem around or the kids for the matter. This was to be found in the parents and their attitude to the game. It would be a great blessing if someone would write "how to get your kids to playbook - parent edition." I could do them out of the box. Here is the basic problem. Is the child doing a game because you expect them to, or are they having a lot of fun playing it? Quite a simple question, isn't it? Well, I asked 10 parents after the game, and they all said: "Oh, he loves it." "Are you sure?" I'd ask, "How can you tell?". I saw a few blanks and laughed a few. "We know the kids" were the most common answers. Did he think
I then asked the children what they liked about the game they had just played one by one. I've got some interesting answers, to be sure. "My friend Tommy was here," "Daddy would be happy if I scored," "I wanted to go home, my stomach hurt, but I had to play." had to play? Why? I asked. "My big brother played, and I have to do everything he did." Okay, now I have something to talk about. Let's see why our kids are into sports.
* outdoor activity
*Keeps physically active
*Builds strong body
*Builds confidence
*kids have fun
*Something we can do together
Keeping the baby active is a great idea, and I am always up for it with so many kids being obese. Still, it was just enough that we could go for a walk with them or ride our bikes. The build-up to the point is perfect, but it might be too much for a kid. We have to ensure that this is done in moderation. Self-confidence. Now here's something I hear all the time. Of course, when the child is good at what they do and when they feel that they can overcome problems by trying harder is good, but what about a 4-year-old who fails? We'll come back to this one moment. Children have fun. I should expect it, but I've seen some people who didn't, and there are reasons for that. And finally, we do something together. Something that we can both enjoy and enjoy. Fair enough, unless it's a one-way street.
Positive thinking. We as human beings learn much faster from success than from failure, so make sure you arrange for your kids to be successful when you do something with them. If they fail anyway, change what you're working on until they succeed. I kicked my son a soccer ball, and although he could have kicked it back, he chose to pick it up with his hands. Instead of telling him that it was bad to pick it up and thus making the whole thing negative, I showed him how he could throw the ball at my leg, and then I did the same. Soon the ball was back on the ground, and we were playing as normal. They don't know the rules, want to be successful, and measure success by your feedback and appreciation. If they don't enjoy something or just plain can't do it, move on to something else. Don't push them into a game because that's what you wanted to do. Let them show you what they want. Expose them to many people and observe them. Are they quick to take the rules? Can they?
In the end, it is most important that they have fun. They enjoy it if you are proud of them and if you allow them to succeed. Give them every means possible to do so and let them move on. Not every kid will like soccer because his brother did. Let him choose for himself, which creates confidence.
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