Which sports are best for our children according to their age
Knowing how to choose the most
appropriate sport for the age of our children has important positive effects,
both on their physical and emotional development.
Sport has important benefits for
children and improves their lives, both physically and mentally. That is why it
is important to start creating the habit of practicing exercise from childhood.
But it is also essential that we bear in mind that the body and mind have
different needs at each age Next, we'll tell you why it's good to practice
workouts in childhood and what sports you'll encourage your children to
practice consistent with their age.
Why is it good to do sports in childhood
Playing sports is useful at any
age, that's why it's necessary to start to instill healthy lifestyle habits in
children from the time they're small. In this way, when they reach adulthood,
they will have assimilated exercise as part of their daily life. In addition,
they will have a hobby that will be very positive for their personal
development.
Sport provides children with
multiple benefits: it helps them to be in good physical shape, to adapt to
routines, to improve their coordination, endurance, and strength, enhances
their health prevents childhood obesity, increases their defenses, improves their
self-esteem, it helps them get to know themselves and their bodies better,
teaches them to enhance their abilities and accept their limitations.
It also helps them to socialize,
cooperate in a group, rest, and perform better and provides them with a healthy
hobby in which to spend their free time in a healthy way, which is very
important in the face of adolescence to prevent inappropriate behavior or abuse
sedentary practices such as watching television or playing with the game
console.
The human body changes over time
and as it develops. Therefore, the physical characteristics at each age are
different. The body of young children is not yet formed but is in the full
growth phase. The habitual practice of an activity favors the good physical and
mental development of the little ones.
It is important that the main
means of approaching children to sport is through play. Also that we choose the
most appropriate physical activities for their level of development, the
specific needs of a given age, and the abilities of each stage of growth.
What sport is good to do from 0 months
Yoga for babies
Yoga for babies favors the
psychomotor development of the child. It is an activity that moms and dads can
do with their babies, being a discipline that is as beneficial for the baby as
it is for them. It enhances the emotional connection between the baby and her
parents, relaxation, and the physical and emotional well-being of the child and
the adults who practice it with him.
In addition, it is a healthy habit that can be transmitted to the baby even before her birth, since yoga
classes for pregnant women are focused on improving the health of the mother,
preparing her for childbirth, and benefiting the development of the fetus.
From birth, and with babies under
1 year old, it is the adult who performs the movements to the child. From the
year on, the child's participation in the yoga session is more active. From the
age of 3, the sessions are already specifically aimed at children.
What sport is good to do from 6 months
Swimming from babies
Midwifery or swimming for babies
is not exactly swimming lessons as we tend to understand them. Its objective is
to familiarize the little ones with the aquatic environment and to strengthen
the bond of trust between the child and their parents, who dive with them in
the water to give them security, and to whom a monitor explains how they should
hold the child, how they should do the exercises with it and how they should
slide it on the water.
Swimming for babies is based on
the practice of a series of simple simulation games. In addition to promoting
the development of the child, it is also possible for babies to learn to stay
afloat, to turn around in the water to avoid drowning in the event of a fall,
and to hold their breath underwater, skills that the baby will end up putting
in practice automatically as soon as it comes into contact with water.
Gross and fine motor exercises
Psychomotor exercises are useful
to enhance babies' motor skills and sensory skills. These can easily be done at
home with the help of a gym or a children's activity blanket that encourages
babies to move their legs and arms, kick, grab and drop objects, and so on.
Motor games benefit the sensory,
physical, and cognitive development of children, enhance motor coordination and
strengthen muscle tone. All this favors sitting and crawling, two essential
phases of development in childhood that precede the baby's first steps.
What sport is good to do from the age of 2
Dance
Before 4 years of age, children
are not ready to take dance classes with a formal structure, but they can take
movement classes. They are intended for children between 2 and 3 years of age
and in them, the little ones develop their motor skills through games. Parents
normally attend these classes and participate with their children.
Golf
Golf is an outdoor sport that
involves practicing skills for concentration, relaxation, and patience. It
allows you to walk and enjoy the outdoors, making it an ideal sport for the
physical and mental development of children.
Although golf clubs start a group
lessons from 4 years old, there are kits adapted for children from 2 years old.
At 2 years of age, it is practiced with sticks and plastic balls in a freer
and less formal way, in the company and under the supervision of the parents.
From 4 years onwards, specially tailored sticks are used for children and adapted
to their height and weight
What sport is good to do from the age of 3
Swimming
Swimming is the sport par
excellence and one of the most complete that exists, both for children and
adults. Improves coordination and endurance, enhances discipline by working the
relationship between effort and result relaxes, opens the appetite, tones the
body promotes bone formation, provides strength and physical resistance,
promotes sociability, keeps children in good health. and it is highly advisable
to correct postural problems from childhood.
Gymnastics
Gymnastics for preschoolers sees
exercise as play, making it perfect for young children. Through different and
fun activities, children are encouraged to walk, run, crawl, crawl, roll, jump,
climb, throw and catch objects and bounce balls.
The best possible gymnastics game
for these ages is to combine music with exercise. Thus the monitors motivate
the child with specific songs for each activity. They are also offered various
materials (balls, mats, etc.) so that they can perform the exercises and
practice gymnastics safely.
In this way, children's abilities
and skills are improved and children learn to control their body and to
coordinate the lower body with the upper body in a playful and gradual way. In
addition, the games played in gymnastics classes for children also serve to
enhance their five senses.
What sport is good to do from the age of 4
Martial Arts
Martial arts such as taekwondo,
judo, or karate favor movement coordination, speed, agility, strength, and
reflexes. They are progressive activities that are easily adapted to the
individual evolution of each child, so it is possible to start practicing them
from a very young age.
They also have important positive
effects on a psychological level and as part of the education of children,
since all of them are disciplines that teach self-control, relaxation, and
respect for the adversary.
Yoga for kids
By age 4, children can already
achieve a certain degree of concentration and are able to understand how to
practice each exercise without the need for their parents to guide their
movements. Yoga teaches them to relax and calm down through breathing exercises,
it helps them control their mind while exercising their body.
Other benefits of this activity
are an increase in the ability to concentrate and the elimination of everyday
stress. It also improves the elasticity and muscle tone of children and helps them
avoid future back problems.
Skateboarding
Gliding with a skateboard, in
addition to being fun, promotes coordination and balance in children. It also
improves your strength, endurance, and flexibility, as well as your
cardiovascular capacity. It is a very interesting sporting leisure activity
since it allows to improve social relations when practiced in a group.
Of course, safety rules must
always be respected, such as the use of a helmet and limb protections and
practicing this sport with the direct supervision of an adult.
Skateboarding is an inexpensive
sport that also serves as a means of transportation, making children more
autonomous, relieving their stress, and providing them with physical and
emotional well-being, since skateboarding is an aerobic sport that helps them
release endorphins.
Ski
Group and supervised ski lessons
begin at approximately 4 years of age. It is an outdoor sport that is practiced
in ideal settings for the enjoyment of the little one. In the physical field,
it improves balance and strengthens the muscles. On a personal level, it favors
the child's contact with nature and the family bond, since it is perfect to be
practiced as a family.
What sport is good to do from the age of 5
Cycling
Children love to ride wheeled
vehicles since they are little. Ride-on, tricycles, bikes without pedals and
bikes with wheels are part of their childhood. For this reason, cycling is a
sport with which they feel familiar from a very young age and it is easy to
motivate them to continue practicing it over time.
At approximately 5 years of age,
most young children shed their training wheels and are ready to practice this
sport, which is also an excellent activity to share with the family and offers
multiple benefits for the little ones, both cognitive, educational, and social.
On a physical level, everything
is beneficial: it increases endurance, speed, and agility, stimulates
coordination and balance improve joints, strengthens the immune system,
increases respiratory capacity, improves the circulatory system, prevents back
pain strengthens bones, fights obesity, promotes blood flow ...
It also allows children to enjoy
more time outdoors and thus increase their personal well-being. On a
psychological level, it also has advantages: it increases autonomy and
self-esteem reduces anxiety and stress and elevates mood.
It also encourages the
development of social values such as companionship and social gathering. It is
a sport that creates ecological awareness since children learn from a very
young age to use the bicycle as a means of transport. Of course: we must get
the kids used to wear a helmet to prevent bumps in the event of a fall.
Skating
Skating is a very fun sport that
can also be practiced in a group, it favors balance and strengthens the muscles
of the legs. However, it is also necessary to take certain safety measures,
protecting the head, knees, elbows, and wrists against the risk of falls.
It is a healthy and enjoyable sport that activates blood circulation, develops concentration and control of
learning, burns calories improves physical endurance and strengthens the lung
and heart.
Paddle or racket sports
Tennis, paddle tennis, badminton,
or table tennis are technically demanding sports that can be started between
the ages of 4 and 6, depending on the child's psychomotor development.
Their initiation must always be
carried out in small groups and with a specialized monitor. Its main benefits
are that it provides resistance and power while promoting eye-hand
coordination.
What sport is good to do from the age of 6
Rhythmic / Artistic Gymnastics
Its practice favors coordination,
elasticity, and flexibility. It also enhances body movements and a sense of
rhythm. You can start practicing one or two hours a week from the age of 5 and
for fun.
Activities through danced
choreography stimulate body expression, musical hearing, and memory, but
certain precautions must be taken into account to avoid injury or interference
with the child's development, especially when performing exercises with weights
or equipment until reaching a suitable age.
Climbing
From the age of 6, children have
fully developed all their motor skills. It is the ideal time to start
practicing other types of sports, such as climbing. Actually, it is an activity
with which they are already familiar as many outdoor play structures include
exercises of this type in their playgrounds.
It can be practiced both in
indoor climbing walls and in natural spaces, but it is necessary to do it in
the appropriate facilities and with the assistance of a monitor who will teach
the child to practice and improve their skills with the appropriate equipment
(harness, carabiners, and ropes) to that, you can enjoy this sport without
taking unnecessary risks.
It also helps them to be more
independent, to burn calories, and to strengthen all the muscles since climbing
is a very complete sport in which the whole body is involved. In addition,
their practice transmits values such as
companionship.
If practiced outdoors, it is a sport that allows children to enjoy natural surroundings, breathe fresh air and
learn to respect the environment. Artificial spaces also benefit children,
especially during their initiation to this sport, because they convey more
confidence and security in themselves.
What sport is good to do from the age of 7
Team sports
Sports such as soccer,
basketball, volleyball, rugby, hockey, or handball, among others, in addition
to working on physical fitness, motor skills, and coordination, help children
to interact and learn to develop game strategies.
Being team sports, they favor
cooperation and healthy competitiveness. Before this age, they can begin to
practice them, but without competing, only as a game or fun, without placing
too much emphasis on the rules, which they will gradually learn with practice.
From 10-12 years old, they can
start to carry out more regular and disciplined training sessions and to
participate in children's competitions (with special balls and in smaller
fields).
Surf
Surfing is a water sport that
facilitates a different approach to nature. It is also a very complete sport,
which allows children to improve their swimming skills, as well as gain
coordination and balance. Likewise, it tones all muscles, increases cardiorespiratory
capacity, endurance, physical strength, and concentration.
Its initiation must be
progressive, prudent, and taken as a fun and playful activity. As a requirement
for their practice, children must be sufficiently autonomous in the water (at
least they must know how to float, dive and stay on the surface of the water
safely). We must never force children of this age into the water or challenge them
to exceed their own limits.
What sport is good to do from the age of 8
Horse riding
Horse riding and equine therapy
are very beneficial activities for children. Although its practice is
associated with elite sports, in reality, many young children are encouraged to
ride horses during their vacations or summer camps.
It is an excellent sport to
develop the muscles of children and strengthen their joints and mobility. It
also improves your balance, enhances your sense of direction and coordination.
In addition, it regulates muscle tone and promotes postural hygiene to achieve
an upright gait.
In fact, it is a practice
especially recommended for children with congenital disabilities, psychomotor
disorders, or progressive diseases, since it allows them to expand their
movements stimulate their posture and reduce muscle stiffness. It is also a great exercise to promote socialization in children with autism or other social
integration difficulties.
Riding a horse improves
concentration and attention stimulate self-confidence and provides security.
Therapists recommend horse riding for children who suffer from phobias or
fears, lack of self-esteem, lack of autonomy, and emotional problems. Finally,
contact with horses transmits positive values to children such as love for nature and animals.
Fencing
Although fencing is not a
well-known sport and many parents do not consider it as an after-school
activity for their children, fencing is a very complete sport in which the whole body works and it is not dangerous if the necessary precautions are
taken.
It is a very technical sport that
requires good physical shape and training, but whose practice stimulates the intelligence of children because, basically, fencing is an activity of skill.
Ability to "touch" your opponent and ability to anticipate their
movements and avoid them.
As a sports discipline, it has important
physical and intellectual benefits: it develops coordination, balance, the psychomotor system, speed of response, and self-control. It speeds up reflexes
and reaction capacity and also improves the ability to reason and make quick
decisions teach to control emotions and impulses and to respect the
adversary.
What sport is good to do from 10-12 years old
Athletics
Athletics is a sport that
encompasses a very wide series of activities that are carried out both outdoors
and on the indoor track. The athletics categories are several: races, throws,
hurdles or long jumps, throwing, combined events, walking, marathon ...
It is such a varied sport that
the child will surely find a discipline that he likes and in which he can
develop her specific skills. In addition, it is one of the few sports that is
practiced around the world and one of the most important disciplines.
As a hobby, it is an inexpensive sport that promotes equality between the sexes, since the training is mixed,
and in which there are different categories by age that adapt the activities to
the level of development and the abilities of all children. In addition,
competitions at this age are usually small, within the limits of the school
itself or the sports school.
Athletics have many physical and
psychological benefits for children. It is a sport in which strength,
endurance, and speed are developed. In addition, running improves lung capacity
and has been found to be effective as a stimulant of growth hormones and muscle
development in children.
As psychological advantages,
athletics relaxes and removes stress, increases their confidence, gives them
discipline and self-control teaches them to compete in a healthy way, respects
rivals, and accepts success and failure. It also gives them greater emotional
stability and there are even studies that show that children who practice this
sport have better academic performance.
Canoeing
Canoeing is a physical exercise suitable for children who can swim. It develops, above all, the trunk and the upper extremities of the body. It also encourages a love of nature. It requires great physical resistance, so it is indicated for pre-adolescent children who are already used to physical activity.
From 10 years old, it is
recommended that children go in double kayaks and always with an adult. This is
located behind the child, to be able to direct the kayak and control the
situation. Both must always wear a life jacket that guarantees their safety.
As general recommendations when
choosing the most appropriate sport for our children according to their age, we
must bear in mind that children from 3 to 5 years old should not do more than 3
or 4 hours of physical exercise a week and up to By age 7, sport should be a
fun game for the child.
From this age, it is advisable to
carry out a medical follow-up when practicing any sport that requires very
disciplined training and with the aim of competing.
It is also advisable to avoid
competition before reaching 10-12 years of age and complete any individual
sport with a collective one. Likewise, it is advisable to avoid both a
sedentary lifestyle and overload in the practice of any sport.
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