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I am a father of a 4 year old daughter. I'm not trying to push her to be a professional athlete, but wanted sports to be a part of her life. She is currently in soccer class, and seems a bit disinterested compared to the other kids. I don't want to push too hard, but don't want to be too laid back either. For those who have been down this road before I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
Why do you want sports to be a part of here life?
Not everyone likes sports. I for one absolutely hate all sports.
If a child has an interest than that is great, but to make a child play sports is not good....
I understand where the OP is coming from. I think it's natural for parents to have kids do things (like sports or music) because those are interests of the parents.
My husband and I will have our daughter in some type of sport/s when she is able to play. Not because we believe she is going to be a super star and receive a scholarship, but because 1) We were both in sports growing up and 2) It promotes a healthy, active lifestyle at a young age in a society that (to be honest) encourages laziness. However, we will also encourage her to do other activites as well...music, dance...a variety is important. My cousin just got a horse, and we are hoping she can give our daughter riding lessons when she is old enough. VARIETY.
I played volleyball from a young age and through high school and coached for fivce years. Would I love my daughter to play? Of course! I know the sport, could help her develop skills and it would be something for us to share! If she doesn't want to play volleyball will I be angry? Not in any way shape or form. As I said, I want her to try sports at a young age for the reasons listed and also because it gets kids to work with others early on in life and can develop social skills, teamwork, and leadership abilities.
Perhaps allow her to try different sports...a lot of kids her age like gymnastics. Perhaps she'd enjoy that! Or maybe get her involved in cheerleading. Many places have karate lessons that kids can do with a parent...that might be fun. You also might try taking her to a variety local high school athletic events. Go to football, soccer, volleyball and basketball games. Take her to track meets and softball games in the spring or have her in swim lessons in the summer. This is a great way to show her what working on skills for sports can do.
There is nothing wrong with trying to get your daughter interested in sports as long as you are not pushing her to play, which it doesn't sound like at all. She is only four, so she may change her mind a lot, but expose her to different sports and she'll probably find one she likes. Just remember, if she ends up not liking athletics, that's ok too, just support and encourage her!
As others have said she is 4, give her time and be accepting that sports may not be her cup of tea. There are other ways to make sure she stays active.
I have 5 children ranging from young adults to elementary age, we have always allowed our children to pick their sport or no sport. My first born and my fourth aren't really into sports, they however do love music and art, the other 3 like sports. It is all dependent on the child, there have been some really good examples posted on there and some really good advice from other posters.
Roller Hockey is great for kids with short attention spans. My son tried a different sport every season but would get bored easily. Since finding hockey (roller is faster than ice and cheaper) he's done 6 seasons and loves it. I started coaching his team after 2 years loved it so much I ended up owning a rink. Most places give free trial classes and have loaner gear so you don't have to buy a bunch of stuff only to find out the kid likes something else. Just a thought.
There are plenty of ways at home to play sports that will make her feel good about her athletic accomplishments. Horseshoes, badminton, playing catch, even track and field like timing her running speed or measuring long jump. Don't just do it once, but keep it up as a regular activity so she can see the miracle that practice can perform. When she acquires a modicum of skill, she might think she is good at it, and it may inspire her to want to try new sports, in an organized environment.
It's nice to see such passionate opinions about how Parents think they should raise their kids. Most of you on this board (Women) think I'm an overbearing father who is only looking at my own wants for my Little girl. I will accept that criticism with one expection....I don't care if my child chooses another path that is not related to sports.
What I do care about is to have her try as many experiences as possible. Just so you ladies know, she is also taking dancing and she loves it!!! She is also having Tea at high noon this Saturday at the Mayflower Hotel.
What I am learning is that at this age you have to make it fun, and I think a few of you have mentioned that. The Soccer Class is a bit of a bore at the rec center....even for me. So we have been playing more in the backyard this past weekend and she seems to enjoy it more.
The important thing about the class though is that she is learning how to listen to others direction (I.E. the coach) and at the same time sharing and playing with others. She is building confidence because she is learning a skill set. I've talked to a lot of coaches and they said one of the big issues with girls is that they give up easily later in life (with sports) because they get frustrated because they were never taught the basic skill sets.
Am I being selfish about my kid......Absolutely!! Will she come to me someday and say Daddy, I don't want to do soccer anymore......probably but the selfish side of me will smile and know that when she is in the backyard with the neighborhood kids she will have the confidence to take a shot at the goal.
So it seems like you are set on the soccer no matter what she wants. IMO that is too bad.
Kids learn following directions and stick-to-it-iveness in many ways at age 4. It doesn't have to be through sports, and it doesn't have to be through any specific sport. Don't take what these coaches say as the Holy Grail, either. Most of them are young and don't know squat about kids. Some of them came up through their sport from age 4 on, and think that's the only way to go. I speak from experience on this issue.
My older daughter did a lot of dance, swimming, etc at the recreation center. Then when she was 8, she watched the Olympics and decided she wanted to be a gymnast. We started her in gymnastics and she did very well. In fact, she stayed in it through high school. She finished 26th in the state (of Colorado) her senior year. Through those years we had good coaches and bad. The worst were the ones who talked like the above. Some saw no room for a missed practice for a birthday party. Very few of the kids she started with stayed with it through high school. Most were done by 8th grade. Part of this was my DD's passion for gymnastics, but part was also that we didn't look at life through the prism of gymnastics.
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