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Put Me In, Coach
Is Your Preschooler Ready for Organized Sports?
By Alexandria Powell
Victoria Dillon's son took a soccer class last spring. Dillon was happy about her child's interest in soccer and hoped he'd meet some new friends in the class. "My favorite comment from a parent there was, 'Will you please stop licking the ball!'" says the Victoria, British Columbia, mom. "That one still makes me laugh."
If your preschooler isn't already involved in a sport, chances are you're considering it. These days, organized sports for 3- to 5-year-olds are "more the norm than the exception," says Dr. Eric Small, a pediatric/adolescent sports medicine specialist and author of Kids & Sports (Newmarket Press, 2002).
However, not everyone is enthusiastic about this trend. In a 2001 policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics noted that although organized sports offer "physical and social benefits" for children, "the younger the participant, the greater the concern about safety and benefits."
But most families find organized sports hard to resist. After all, they can be a lot of fun. Playing sports also provides preschoolers with regular physical activity, something many kids don't get enough of. And an organized sport can give children a safe, structured environment in which to begin learning about teamwork and fair play.