Should You Push Your Kids to do Sports?

Playing sports, whether on a team or as an individual, has so many wonderful benefits for children. Studies have shown that kids who play sports are more likely to lead healthy lifestyles, learn effective problem-solving skills, and perform better in school.

Taking part in a sport may come with a lot of great advantages, but is it helpful to push every kid to participate in sports?

Of course your motivation is always to do what is best for your kids, but it can be easy to second-guess yourself on how best to help them succeed. You may find yourself questioning which sport– if any– will help your child succeed. You may even wonder if you should explore a different extracurricular all together. 

So, how can you decide what’s best for your kid? 

At the end of the day, you always want to put them in a position where they can grow, learn more about themselves, and make meaningful connections with others.

Here are some questions that could be helpful to think about when trying to make the decision to push your kids to do sports or not:

  1. Why are they hesitant?
    It’s important to try to determine why your kid does not want to play. If your child is just feeling nervous about trying something new, or worried they won’t succeed, you have a bit more room to encourage them to play.

    If they aren’t interested at all in the sport you’d like them to try, have them consider another possible extracurricular activity they would be interested in. Your kids will receive more benefits from trying something new if it is something that they are interested in.

  2. What is your motivation to push them?  
    Our own history with sports impacts how motivated we are to have our children play. If you loved playing a sport growing up, it would be really tempting to push your child to play– to help give them those happy memories you still cherish.

    While those memories are great, they are not the best reason to push your kids to do a specific sport. Instead, try to find opportunities that your kids will enjoy so that they can build meaningful memories of their own.

  3. How much is too much? 
    Look at the rest of your schedule before deciding to add another activity. Be realistic about what the potential activity would add to your calendar. If your calendar is really full, maybe it is okay to pass on this opportunity and focus on something else with less of a commitment.

    Your kids will have a hard time gaining the benefits of playing a sport if they are too time-crunched to enjoy it! Make sure that the activity will be a fun, positive experience for the whole family by avoiding over-loading.

Remember, there’s no wrong or right answer here! Making the best decision you can for your individual child is what’s most important.

Laura Lebovitz, LMFT
llebovitz@growcounseling.com