Tips for working out with kids

My twelve year old nieces (yes twins!) regularly join me for a good match of football and most of the time, they really enjoy it. However, how do you pick a sport to play? And what to do when things don't go as planned? I have some tips that I'd like to share with you about working out with kids.

Tips for working out with kids

My oldest nieces are very much into all kinds of sports so it's fun to workout with them and try new things. My smallest nieces are a bit too young for sports, so a good workout with the little ones usually means running around at the playground for hours!

Working out with kids is so much fun. Their spirits shine a different light on things and they might even change your perspective in a positive way. Patience is a virtue, and this definitely is the case when you want to introduce a child to any kind of new sport. Staying patient often is a challenge, even if they're getting the hang of it but with some help, it's should be a piece of cake or at least a little bit easier.

You'll find super useful tips on the next page!

Familiarity: tiny humans tend to love what they already know
Kids tend to have an interest spike for what they already know, so if they have friends that are familiar with the sport or maybe older siblings or any other family members that often play football, it will help with getting them excited. In my case, I'm their leading example (I conveniently love all sports) and my nieces are not that young so it's easy for me to have an awesome conversation about sports to get them all excited.

Encourage them: tiny humans sometimes need a little bit of help
Look around with the child to see what kind of sports are being played in the family or in their class. Go to the library and get books about different kinds of sports or check tv programs that contain sports. Focus on sports that are suitable for their age. Just keep it simple and laid back, pay good attention to how a child responds and it will become easier to narrow it down to a few options.

Options: tiny humans love to have a say in the matter
And guess what? Having a choice is good! Giving a child options, give them a feeling of control over themselves and their lives. You shouldn't make a child do anything against their own will. Especially when it comes down to a child exploring their interests. It's a big part of their self development and it helps build their self-esteem. Narrow it down to max 3 options so the choice won't become too complicated.

What to do when a child wants to stop and not honor their commitment? See the next page!

When you decide which sport you'll be working out and you start your workout. A child might not enjoy it as much as they thought they would and they want to quit. In this case you should try to figure out why they want to quit and try to teach them a lesson about commitment.

If for example, you decided that you were going to play football for 20 minutes, explain that it's important to honor that commitment and stick with it till the end. Explain how much time is left and try to find ways to make it more fun.

If afterwards the child still doesn't feel like it was the right kind of choice, praise them for at least trying and sticking with it! In the end that's all us big and tiny humans can do to explore and discover which sports we enjoy the most!

xoxo

Safira Audrey