It’s hard to know what a young child would enjoy as a physical activity. If you’re lucky, he or she may have expressed a fascination with something they have seen on TV or through their family and friends, but more often than not, parents have to go through a period of trial and error to find the right fit. Here are few tips for finding the right activity:

• Talk to your child. If your child is younger, introduce a few different options that you think they might enjoy through video. YouTube can be handy for this. Ask them what they think. If your child is older, encourage them to actively take part in the decision-making process letting them choose for themselves from activities you can afford and are location friendly for you.
• Start small. If a school or program has the option to do a trial class, give it a shot and see how it goes. If your child is young, it’s a good idea to be there with them to help ease separation anxiety if the teacher allows it. If there is no trial class, try to start them off with a shorter term commitment. If all goes well, you can go for longer terms.
• Get feedback. Ask your child open questions about their experience with a class. Try not to ask leading questions like “Did you have a good time?” Younger children sometimes have a tendency to want to please their parents with a positive response, giving you a false impression of their experience.
• Don’t over-react. Your child won’t necessarily have a great experience with every single class they take. Sometimes, they’ll offer resistance to going on a particular day. People have different opinions on how to handle this, but from my own experience and from talking to parents, I think the best approach is that once your child is signed up for their first short-term class, keep them going to that class consistently for the term, even the days they say they don’t want to go. More often than not, they change their mind once they get there. Of course, if they consistently resist or do not enjoy themselves, you might want to consider trying a new activity at the end of the term.
• Let go. Try not to get your hopes up too high that they’ll enjoy the same things you do. Every parent hopes that their child will enjoy similar interests as their own, but children have their own personalities and characters. Try not to pressure them, actively or implicitly, to like the activity you’ve signed them up for. If you really want them to flourish, it’s important to find physical activities that give them positive experiences with their bodies and minds, building their confidence, as well as their physical competencies.

Are you a parent or children’s instructor? What advice would you have for parents introducing a new activity to your child? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

In my next blog post, I’ll talk about how to encourage your child as they explore themselves through sports/physical activities.

Tags: children