Playing Football with Your Child

One of the most pleasurable aspects of parenting is having the opportunity to play active games such as football with children. Kids and teenagers usually enjoy active play and the exercise that they get while participating in athletics is good for their overall health and development.

Football for Family Fun

The popularity of football has grown worldwide, with kids of all ages enjoying the sport. From small children to teenagers, football can be fun for families, even if they have no star players amongst them. Little kids are often happy just to kick a ball around the garden, learning a few basic ball handling skills and increasing their confidence and coordination. As children get older and their skills improve, many enjoy the competitive nature of the game. Parents should try to make sure that family games are always focused on having fun and strengthening emotional bonds and they shouldn’t be overly concerned about perfection. Fun over form, every time!

Football is Great Exercise

Playing football provides kids and teenagers with plenty of healthy exercise, which is important for both their immediate and long term health. Football requires a number of different actions, all beneficial to kids. Kicking a soccer ball may be simple enough, but maintaining ball control, passing, shooting, and defending all require using different muscle groups, making the sport ideal for well rounded training. Football players are usually lean, strong, and quick on their feet as a result of all the exercise that they get during practices and games.

Parents as Football Coaches

Parenting is tricky business. Parents want their kids to do well, of course, but they may not always be qualified to provide them with one-on-one coaching. Playing football casually with their children is a good activity for parents, and the sport is ideal for a family activity, but when kids decide that they are ready to play in team situations, most parents are better off leaving the coaching to the pros. Athletics are great for kids, but some parents can take their enthusiasm for sports to an extreme when it comes to their children, directing their focus too intensely on winning, rather than on having fun and developing an attitude of sportsmanship. Parents have every right to stick up for their kids when necessary, but for the most part, they should try to stay out of coaching decisions and allow their children to take the advice of their coaching staff.

Encouraging a Love of Sports in Children

Most kids love to play active games when they are very young, but some lose interest in sports as they get older. This is unfortunate and parents should do all that they can to encourage their children to remain active throughout their lives. Exercise not only benefits kids physically, but socially and emotionally, as well. Team sports such as football give children plenty of opportunities for socialising, learning how to interact well with one another and directing their energies toward a common goal. Also, studies show that kids who get regular exercise are far less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than their more sedentary peers.