The best sports for kids they are soccer, tennis, swimming, martial arts, gymnastics, baseball, even dancing. The extracurricular offer in terms of physical activities is increasing every day forchildren and young people, a need that provides them with multiple benefits for their health from an early age, but do we know how to choose the most suitable sport for them taking into account their age??
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), compiles the need of the child to develop their physical, moral and aesthetic capacities through physical exercise and sport in order to develop a balanced growth.
According to Sánchez Bañuelos (1996) and Pérez Samaniego (1999), the benefits that physical activity can bring to the health of the minor is classified in three dimensions:
The cognitive, social and emotional development of children and young people requires a minimum of physical well-being for adequate development. However, these benefits that the practice of sport can bring them contrast with the cases in which the child is exposed to a situation of pressure in favor of achieving premature performances, sacrificing other more important learning for their age.
Some of the risks that parents take when considering that their child is an athlete and not a child are:
Article index
Preschoolers are beginning to handle basic movements like running, jumping, or finding balance, so they are too young for organized sports. Physical activity contributes to a more balanced development of motor activities and neuro-muscular coordination in children.
It is an age in which they have little ability to concentrate, their vision is poorly developed and it is difficult for them to follow the direction and speed of moving objects. For this reason, the activities suggested by the specialists are exercises of running, swimming, jumping, throwing objects, riding a tricycle or catching objects..
Pediatricians advise that a child does not practice more than three or four hours of physical exercise a week. In any case, each child has very specific characteristics and it is advisable to ask a specialist to assess the needs of your child.
By this age, children have almost fully developed many of the basic motor skills. Their interest lies in trying to improve them or learn new, more difficult skills.
They also begin to be able to follow instructions, so aiming them for an organized activity is already viable. Some of the most recommended are:
These sports should be practiced as a game, since a child should not be exposed to pressure at such an early age. Ideally, they should combine an individual sport, such as judo, and another collective, such as soccer. Children are developing their personality, and it is good that they learn values that benefit them and the collective.
By practicing intense physical activities of 1 hour at least three times a week, the child will strengthen bones and muscles.
At this stage of the child's life, we find that his motor skills are in full swing and he already has the vision of an adult. His level of learning is high and he is already able to remember and show attention.
This implies that they can learn tactics and strategies of play, so it is a good time to test if the child is ready to be part of a club that motivates him to compete. In other words, gambling would become a responsibility for the minor.
While a 6- to 8-year-old child becomes fatigued, has short-term interests, and may suddenly abandon one activity for another, a phase begins after 9 years of age in which they are happy to put their skills to the test. You are curious to learn, improve, display your skills, and be persistent in what you do.
For this age we could highlight athletics. It is a sport that brings together physical qualities such as running, jumping or throwing, exercises that will benefit the development of their abilities, skills and provide great educational value..
The beginning of adolescence leads to an increase in muscle mass and strength, in addition to cardiopulmonary resistance, which presents its maximum values. This physical change not only brings benefits.
The body also suffers a loss of flexibility in both sexes and also temporarily decreases coordination and balance, which can affect performance in certain sports.
The onset of puberty varies between individuals, which means that those who develop the physiological change earlier will be taller, stronger and with greater muscle mass, which will allow them to have an advantage over the rest.
This promotes that in collective sports such as soccer, basketball or handball, we find boys or girls who stand out from the rest and others who, due to their decline in maturity, remain stagnant.
It is important to discuss the psychological issue with the latter. Parents and coaches must make them understand that their condition will change soon, in order to avoid possible frustrations that may translate into reluctance and abandonment on the part of the child..
As a general rule, girls mature earlier by developing their shoulders and widening their hips. In the case of suffering a late physical maturity, sports such as gymnastics or skating are highly recommended, because they continue to maintain their flexibility.
Sports such as soccer, tennis, swimming or basketball are highly recommended for those boys who show a serious interest in competition. It is advisable to train one hour a day to maintain a regularity that leads you to reach a good level.
For children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other learning disabilities, it is important to determine which sport they should do.
Exercise offers a number of social and behavioral benefits for children with ADHD, but choosing which sport to do is not always easy due to its limitations. Some of these factors that make it difficult to integrate into a
sport are:
According to most experts, for children in whom hyperactivity is not controlled, it is better to aim for individual sports, since group sports and, especially contact sports, can pose a significant risk to them and to other children with which it matches.
Sports such as swimming, martial arts, tennis, fencing, horseback riding or gymnastics are activities in which children can receive individual attention from a coach..
The other half of the success of a child with ADHD is the parents. They should work on finding an activity in which their child does well, that interests him, has fun and fits his personality.
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