For parents who love sports, nothing can be more exciting than hearing your children say they want to join a team or take up lessons themselves. It’s a great opportunity to help your kids enjoy the health benefits that will help them become strong and fit. You will also be able to share more bonding moments together as you watch their love for sports blossom.
Having kids that are naturally curious and motivated can certainly be considered a blessing, especially when many children today do not get enough exercise.
However, kids can also easily lose interest. There are various reasons that can cause them to do so. In sport, it may be too much competition, a mismatched coach, or that they cannot find fun in their sport any longer.
If you want your kids to enjoy playing sports and continue experiencing the health benefits it offers, help them stay interested in and motivated to play. The best tennis coaches in the UAE share five tips on how you can do this.
1. Make sports a regular family activity
Tennis, for example, is a great sport that can be played by the whole family, but you can adapt any sport to be something that everyone can enjoy. For example, even if your kids are still beginners, they will find hitting and chasing balls enjoyable. Once your children know the basics of the sport, you can start playing matches with them and teach them some strategies.
However, make sure you don’t take the game too seriously. Remind them that winning isn’t the goal of these family matches. If you don’t, your kids will not correlate playing sports with having fun- and when they fail to find something enjoyable, they will lose interest in it.
Kids also naturally look up to and admire their parents. If your children see you doing something that you really like or enjoy, they will likely be more interested in doing it too. As such, during these family sessions, show your kids how much you like this sport and how fun it can get.
2. Make your home sport-friendly
When your kids have quick access to sports areas, you will have an easier time encouraging them to play.
Creating a kid-friendly court or pitch in your backyard isn’t a difficult and expensive thing to do. Using tennis as an example, you can simply buy and install a mini-net to create the court. For younger kids, you can even simply draw a line across the yard for them to hit a ball across.
You will also find a lot of reasonably priced kid-sized sports equipment. With the court, equipment, and supplies complete, your kids can play a match anytime by themselves and whenever you are home.
3. Teach your kids fun drills
Learning to play sports or training to be an excellent player doesn’t mean kids need to undergo a rigorous, strict program. They can be good athletes through some easy, fun drills.
Make adjustments that build on gross motor skills. Letting your kids hit the ball through a hula hoop, is more enjoyable than playing against a wall or on their own. With a colorful and large target, your little ones will develop control accuracy while having lots of fun.
Another drill that kids will love is the “Simon Says” drill which is great if they are still learning the basic movements of their sport).
By making these drills at home fun, you will help them improve their game and find sports more exciting to play.
4. Enroll them in a good program
The best tennis programs for kids do not only train them to be great players; they offer great opportunities for kids to meet and make new friends.
When kids can expand their social circle in an activity or a hobby, they will more likely stick to it. As such, find a program where there are many kids near your children’s ages.
The program should also offer other activities that will allow them to learn more about their chosen sport and build relationships outside the field of play. Activities such as aerobics with children songs by KLS, and other kids-relevant workout exercises can help to prepare children for future success. A sports and music combination is regarded as a high dose of stimulation in mental treatment. Both activities can affect the heart rate, as well as improve technique and coordination of the human kinetic chain.
5. Help your kids feel good about playing sports
An important element to keeping kids interested in sports is helping them experience success.
Keep your kids challenged while helping them build on simpler skills they feel proud of. Although praising their skills will help them feel good, avoid hollow praise.
Encourage them to talk about their accomplishments, worries, and everything they are feeling about their play. If you don’t agree with what they are telling you, don’t get mad at them or dismiss their feelings. Try to find the root cause of their negative feelings and help them overcome or deal with these emotions.
Helping your kids develop a long-term love for sports calls for some hard work on your part. But if you continue playing and enjoying along with them, you won’t consider this a chore at all. You will even strengthen your relationship with your kids every time you play with them.
AUTHOR BIO
Possessing more than two decades of experience in the leisure and hospitality industry, Tony Kouris joined Zayed Sports City as General Manager in January 2018. With extensive career experience, a value on interpersonal relationships, and strong negotiating experience, he is positioned to support Zayed Sports City’s strategic growth and continue to innovate the site as an internationally recognized sport and entertainment destination.
