Being active and moving is something that is so important for us all, but especially important for children. How active a child is will impact their overall health and well-being, as well as their learning. Being able to help children to incorporate this into their life is something that is definitely a priority when it comes to being a modern parent. Some parents can feel dismayed, though, when they see that their child isn’t as interested in sports that they would have hoped for them. So how can you encourage them to be interested in sport and to have a go? 

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Lead by example

It is such a good idea to lead by example when you are a parent. This is true for a variety of aspects, but especially for getting children involved in sport. They won’t be interested in sport if you’re not, so you need to be someone who is interested and active, if you want any hope of them doing so too. If you lay on the couch all day then they will just learn to do that too. So think about ways that you can be active, whether as an individual or as a family, and it can make a difference.

Introduce them to your favorite team

Alongside leading by example, you could also share with them who your favorite sports star is or who your favorite team is. Although they can choose who they want to support, if at all, getting them enthused by them seeing your enthusiasm for a particular player or team can be just what is needed to kick start their journey. You could look for a team uniform store to get them a jersey with their name on, for example, as well as look to see the team play at one of their games. Share your enthusiasm and it will help to ignite a passion.

Keep it fun

If something feels like a chore or like it is something pressuring them, then it will be hard to be enthusiastic about it. This will make them resent it, which is not a good thing for later in life. When you make being active and playing sport fun, it helps them to keep it fun as they get older. If they show particular skill and learn to love it, then more practice and expertise and training can come in. However, the main message for getting children into sport is to keep it fun. When they can enjoy what they do, they will only see it as something fun to do, rather than what we as adults might see it as, such as a chore to burn calories.

Whatever sport your child chooses to play, or whatever way they choose to be active, encourage them and make it fun, and then it will be something that they will want to carry on doing as they go about the rest of their lives. Are there any other tips that you would share? It would be great to hear what you think.