How to Prepare your Child for a Successful Sportball Season

In this post, you will learn more about how to prepare your child for a successful Sportball session at their unique age and developmental stage.  

As a parent or caregiver of a child in a Sportball program, you play a crucial role in supporting their sports journey. Whether your child is stepping onto the field for the first time or is an experienced Sportballer, we understand that embarking on this adventure can be both exciting and sometimes overwhelming (they are kids after all!). That’s why we’ve created this comprehensive guide to help you navigate and understand what to expect from our programming, and your child’s experience.

Above all else, we want you and your child to come to Sportball and have FUN! Using our Sportball Magic, we will teach fundamental physical skills through age-appropriate drills, help your child gain experience in organized activities and build confidence through participation in sports.

After nearly 30 years in business, here is what we have learned that will help you be prepared for your first day at Sportball and a successful season ahead!

Junior (16 Months – 2 Years Old) 

Children at this age most often join Sportball as their first group/class experience, as well as at their earliest stage of development of physical activity. 

What can we expect from them when joining their first Sportball program? 

• They are in a new space with a lot of new faces. Their senses and emotions are working in full gear to understand their surroundings. They may be nervous or confused trying to comprehend everything new to them, and that’s ok and 100% normal.
• The best thing we can do is give them time to deal with these emotions. They may not want to play at the beginning of class and might spend most of the class staring at everyone from the sidelines. Our class is a routine, and we can expect to see a big change from week 1 to week 4. 
• Children at this age are just learning physical activities for the first time, gaining confidence and balance in their movements. A parent’s role in our program is that of a “personal trainer”. Guiding and assisting their child in successful activation and an overall positive Sportball experience.
• A positive and engaged parent encourages a positive and engaged child.

Parent & Child (2-3 Years Old) 

Children in this age range are gaining more confidence in their movements and balance. They are still discovering new types of movements, but with practice, they can achieve success through parental and coach guidance. 

What can we expect from them when joining their Sportball program? 

• Being in a new environment surrounded by strangers can be intimidating for some children, even with their parents/caregivers by their side. This can cause nervousness to participate due to fear of failure, and being judged by others they don’t know. 
• Because of this, they may not be interested in jumping right in and they can easily become stuck in “NO” mode (i.e. When parents keep asking their kids to play, they go immediately to “no”). How do we most effectively get them out of “no” mode? We stop asking them to play and allow them to sit and observe the class, watching the other children smiling and having fun. By letting them know they are welcome to play if they want but not applying any pressure, children of this age begin gaining interest in the activities and desire to play. We need to be patient and allow them to join at their pace, and on their terms. 
• Your role as a parent is to guide your child through the class and help them follow the coach’s instructions – Bring them to the magic line and pay attention to demonstrations, to show them where to play and support them if they need assistance during practice, and to be their cheerleader.
• Remember, a positive and engaged parent encourages a positive and engaged child.

Drop-off (3-5 Years Old) 

For indoor programming, grown-ups remain outside the gym during class. 

For a lot of friends in this age group, this may be their first experience of doing a program on their own. They may be nervous about allowing their grown-up to leave the gym, even if they attend daycare or a pre-school program. A grown-up may stay at the beginning of the season to help their child get comfortable by keeping in mind that we are working towards the goal of all grown-ups being outside the gym during class. Our coaches are trained to deal with separation anxiety and will work with parents to achieve the common goal of independent play. Remember, this looks different for every child. 

Benefits of a drop-off program: 

• Less strangers in the gym means less distractions for the children. When families are out of the gym, their child’s focus is solely on the coach and activities in class.
• Sportball is a structured, routine-based program. It is easy for programs to lose that structure when there are too many people distracted from the program itself.
• It is the responsibility of coaches to ensure that children remain safe in class and are safely returned to their grown-up at the end of class. When more people (parents) are in the gym, this increases the difficulty in running a safe program and ensuring all children are safely dismissed to their grown-ups at the end of class.
• This promotes independence and encourages your child to learn and succeed on their own. 
• Learning to be comfortable and confident on their own in different environments. ex. School, Sportball, swimming lessons, scouts, etc.
• Learning to regulate/take direction from different teachers/coaches other than their primary caregivers.
• Kids learn to socialize with other children their age without their parent’s intervention. This promotes learning social cues and independent play.

Drop-off (6-9 Years Old) 

For indoor programs, grown-ups are outside the gym during class. 

Friends in this age group are independent and capable of playing group/team activities with confidence and minimal instruction. These programs are designed to expose participants to new games and sports, trying new movements and skills in a fun and supportive environment. 

What is this program about: 

• Learning new exercises, stretches and movements.
• Gaining experience in group/team activities that require more instructions and rules.
• Teaching independence and encouraging children to learn and succeed on their own. 
• Help children get comfortable and confident on their own in different environments. ex. School, Sportball, swimming lessons, scouts, etc.
• Learning to socialize with other children their age without their parent’s intervention. This promotes learning social cues and independent play.
• For those who are not yet ready to participate in a competitive league, Sportball programs provide a safe and challenging environment without the pressure of competition. 

Sportball programming introduces children as young as 16 months to a variety of different sports in a safe and non-competitive environment. Our coaches are extremely knowledgeable about age-appropriate baseline skills and progressions for each of the sports we play, enabling them to make adaptations based on your child’s unique needs. This allows children to learn and develop at their own pace all while having fun and challenging themselves in new ways.

Learn more about our different Sportball programs or find a Sportball program near you by visiting us at www.sportball.com