AYSO Soccer, Eau Claire

According for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, kids should get about an hour of physical activity each day on average. While there are many different forms of physical activity, one of the most common ways to get hearts pumping is through organized sports.

There are many different sports, ranging from outdoors to indoors, from team sports to individual sports. Enrolling a child in various sports during their elementary and middle school years ensures they’ll find something that clicks with them.

Bonnie Nicolai, sports director at the Eau Claire YMCA, says that kids can typically enroll in sports starting at the age of 4. The most popular sports at the Y, she says, depend on age. For preschool-aged children, gymnastics, swimming, basketball, and tennis are usually the highest enrolled sports. For school-aged children, these sports are still popular, and volleyball gets added to the mix.

Since there are more than a handful of sports available to children as soon as they are old enough to learn how to play, deciding which sports to enroll your child in can be overwhelming. Nicolai says she encourages parents to enroll their children in a variety of sports to find what sparks their interest.

“My advice for preschoolers is to find programs that aren’t sport-specific,” she says. “Kids want experiences geared toward hand-eye-foot coordination, as well as basic listening and following skills.”

– Bonnie Nicolai, 
sports director, Eau Claire YMCA

Becky Adamski Krische, aquatic director at the Eau Claire YMCA, says when it comes to swimming lessons, parents can generally follow four guidelines: gear up, be positive, arrive early, and encourage a “give it a try” attitude.

“You want to get them the right gear, so they’re comfortable in the water,” Adamski Krische says. “It also helps to arrive early, because if you’re rushing, the child will sense it, which can make them uncomfortable.”

Adamski Krische also says that oftentimes parents express their own fear of the water, which can negatively affect their child’s experience. Positivity goes a long way between parents and children, which is another good reason to encourage a “give it a try” attitude.

As far as getting into the water, Adamski Krische says the age of 3 or 4 is ideal for children to start gaining respect for the water. At this age, children can learn important precautions, such as safely entering and exiting the water.

Once children are in their later elementary or middle school years, Nicolai says she encourages them to narrow their interests. Her biggest concern is when she has seen kids specialize in a sport too early, which has proven to do more harm than good.
“There are lots of studies about this,” she says, “to not let your kids do a single sport year-round. It can lead to injuries or loss of interest.”

Oftentimes, kids narrow their interests down to one sport because they are good at it. Parents, in turn, tend to invest in that sport instead of exposing their children to other sports. Doing the same sport year round can lead to boredom due to monotony, as well as to overuse injuries.

Nicolai also says that in her experience, she has found that a child’s passion for a certain sport stays intact especially when he or she is in other sports. It gives the child something to look forward to throughout the year if there’s a single sport he or she is most passionate for.

There are also other benefits when kids are involved in multiple sports.

“It’s easier on the body,” Nicolai says. “Kids use different muscle groups, develop different relationships with coaches, and maintain passion for the primary sport.”
No matter what children get into, a sport should always be fun for them, providing time set aside to be active and to foster new relationships. With those three things in mind, children will gain a lot out of the sports they decide are right for them.

Meghan Hosely is a marketing assistant at the Eau Claire YMCA. A recent graduate of UW-Eau Claire, she enjoys running along the Chippewa River Trail, frequenting coffee shops, and FaceTiming her dogs.