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Last Updated: Jul 2nd, 2008 - 21:15:22 |
(NAPSI)-If you want your child to be an individual, have her join a team. Experts say team sports help build identity, confidence and social skills in children. They can also help teach kids important concepts such as winning, losing and hard work.
Equally important, however, is the fact that team sports can help start children on a lifelong road of fitness-a road that is becoming increasingly less traveled. According to a U.S. Surgeon General report, half of all kids between 12 and 21 are not physically active on a regular basis. Keep these tips in mind when considering a team sport for your child.
Joining A Team
Before your child takes the field, bring her to the doctor for a physical. Also, if she is a bit of a couch potato or lacks physical conditioning, let her coach know. Bring your child to different sporting events and let her decide which activities she's most interested in. Remember, there are plenty of other sports out there besides soccer, baseball and basketball. Kids may enjoy tennis, swimming, lacrosse or track and field, to name a few. The key is that the sports seem fun.
Dealing With Nerves
If your child is nervous about joining a team, talk to the coach. See if you and your youngster can attend a few practices so she can get a feel for what the team does. Ask if your child can participate in a few practice activities before she fully commits. That could help ease her worried mind (and yours).
Building A Team
Once your child is on a team, encourage her to become friends with her teammates. Try hosting a team night where you invite her teammates over for munchies and movies. Have the kids help you bake cookies or brownies. Then pop in a movie about sports, teamwork and cooperation. For instance, "The Sandlot 2" was recently released on DVD. The heartwarming movie follows a group of neighborhood kids who get together on an old dirt field to play baseball. At first, the kids are adversaries (girls against boys) and compete for rights to call the sandlot their own. But when a little league team shows up and threatens to take over the field, the kids work together to beat them in a baseball game-and win rights to the sandlot.
For more information, visit www.foxstore.com.
Play Ball-Team sports can help children develop confidence and social skills.
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