The key to guiding children into the right youth sport is active listening. Experts at Boys Town National research hospital emphasize talking to your kids and finding out what truly interests them.
Then, it’s the parent’s job to go out and gather as much information as possible about various sports and begin introducing them to your child.

• Call various youth sports organizations and find out their seasons, levels of competition, etc.
• Ask to talk to coaches and even older players.
• Be sure to compare different organizations against each other.

You’ll also want to consider your child’s personality and how it might fit with a particular sport:

• How well does your child listen to instruction?
• Do they work well with others?
• What seem to be their natural physical abilities?

Sign Up for Summer Sports Camps

Once you’ve narrowed the choices to a sport or perhaps several sports, think about signing your child up for camps for those sports. It’s a low-risk way to try several different sports. Also, if your child is interested in one sport, you can try out several different camps to see which coaches and organizations fit best.

Boys Town experts also recommend that young children try several different sports before deciding on one. Even after they pick a favorite sport, it’s a good idea to have them involved in another sport to avoid burnout. 

For example, you could have your daughter in both gymnastics and track and field. By the time she’s in middle school, she may decide to focus on just one, though many children continue to be multiple sport athletes through high school.

As far as age is concerned, don’t be concerned if your child is five or six years old and still hasn’t found a sport they like. If they’re still interested in sports, be sure to listen to them and, of course, encourage them to try new things.

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