Athletics at a Young Age
Many kids play sports at very young ages as little as 5 or maybe even 3. Just 3 years old and they are already a sports star. Not just the kids but also the parents. Many parents encourage their son or daughter to play a sport. What are the positives to this, and are there any negatives to starting sports early?
What are the positives?
One of the biggest things when it comes to sports at a young age is fun. You should always have fun when you play sports if that’s what you love to do, but as you get older it starts to get competitive, and the factor of fun starts to even out with competition and learning.
Another positive is that it creates a social connection. Some kids may find it hard to make social connections at such a young age. However sports can help with this, every single team sport requires communication. It also helps kids become respectful when it comes to their social life. Having to listen to a coach is an amazing step in the correct direction at such a young age, and it helps them grow as respectful listeners and learners.
A huge positive of sports at a young age is that it gets them outside and moving and is also great exercise. Researchers have found that, although more screen time at 2 years old creates poorer communication and daily living skills at age 4, time spent playing outdoors can mitigate these effects on daily living skills. It doesn’t matter the age either, being outside inspires creativity. Being outside does so much more. It also builds confidence, it teaches responsibility, and it also greatly improves physical and mental health.
What are the Negatives?
Although playing sports is awesome, there are a few negatives to starting sports at a young age.
One negative that not everyone thinks about is something called burning out. I myself know a couple of people who played a certain sport at a very young age and now they will tell me that the same sport is awful. This doesn’t always happen, but sometimes if a kid gets the wrong end of the rod when playing a sport very young, they might be influenced or grow up to not like that same sport anymore. Kids will find their way as they grow older.
Another negative that you don’t see all the time but can definitely happen is negative psychological effects. This problem doesn’t always occur but with certain coaches it is a possible outcome. If a coach expects perfection and wants to win all the time could become a problem. At a young age, playing sports is about having fun, and unfortunately, some coaches don’t understand that. This rarely occurs but you always want to make sure the coach that is with your kid a couple days a week understands the concept of fun.
Summary
Although this article was about both positives and negatives to starting sports at a young age, I still agree that it is more of a positive than a negative. Having kids play sports at a young age helps them grow as individuals. It helps them learn about dedication and maybe even hard work. But most importantly it is fun, and who doesn’t like fun.
