Simply put – Multi-sport for kids means encouraging children to engage in a wide variety of sports and physical activities prior to their teenage years, and multi-sport programs focus specifically on maximizing exposure to sports while kids are still very much developing their movement, coordination and sport-based skills.
You might be thinking, “Great, now I can define multi-sport for kids, but how does this apply to my child?” As a parent, when your little athlete shows an interest and/or talent in a specific sport, like soccer, it’s easy to think, “Let’s sign her up for soccer. We know she likes it and is good at it”. And while playing soccer has many benefits, it’s important to consider how you might provide access to a variety of different physical activities at a young age. This is because research shows that children should avoid specializing in a specific sport until they are in their early teens, and not surprisingly, some of the world’s greatest athletes (i.e. Bobby Orr, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Michael Soroka) were multi-sport athletes growing up. There are so many reasons why registering your child to play in multi-sport program is a great way to give them a head start both on and off the field. Keep reading to why.
Why choose multi-sport for kids?
Kids have fun and build a positive relationship with sport for life!
Research, experts (including the International Olympic Committee and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine), and professional athletes all agree that it is important for kids to have fun and build a positive relationship with sport in order to continue to enjoy sport as adults, whether it be at a recreational or competitive level. Specializing in a sport, like football, soccer, or basketball to name a few, during childhood can lead to increased risk of injury, burnout, and early drop-out from sport. Multi-sport programs keep sports fun for kids by giving them the opportunity to explore different sports interests while developing their motor, social, and cognitive skills (i.e. life skills).
Kids develop fundamental movement skills
Multi-sport programs teach kids fundamental movement skills such as kicking, running, jumping, throwing, catching, skipping, and striking with a racquet or stick and children build upon these physical literacy skills starting at a very young age. For example, early signs of throwing start at just 14 months and early signs of kicking begin around 15 months. So, you might be thinking, if these movement skills are starting to develop in the early toddler years, then what age can kids start multi-sport programs? A good multi-sport program will optimize on these early learning windows and offer programs starting in early toddlerhood, even as young as 16 months. Multi-sport should continue to span over the childhood years, so they support kids as they are developing fundamental movement skills at each age and stage. We know that the more kids see and practice a skill the better they get at it! After being a part of a good multi-sport program, kids will have the movement skills for any individual sport of their choosing in their teen and adult years.
Multi-sport programs are convenient and affordable
Having your child participate in multi-sport programs sounds like it could be costly, so how much do multi-sport programs for kids cost? Let’s think of it this way. Instead of having to sign your child up for a variety of individual sports programs and buy new gear season after season while your child is pushed into increasingly more competitive (and costly!) programs, multi-sport programs offer a one-stop shop saving both time and money.
When it comes to what kids need to participate in multi-sport programs, the answer is surprisingly little! Multi-sport programs often supply all the sports equipment needed to play a variety of sports – from basketball to golf. Little else is required beyond a team jersey, shoes and perhaps a ball to get started. Just one less thing parents need to worry about!
What does a good kids multi-sport program look like?
Lots of ingredients go into creating a great multi-sport program that kids will learn from and enjoy. Here is what to look for to find the best multi-sport program for your child.
Program Philosophy
You want to find a program that understands the value of multi-sport for your child’s development, including all aspects of your growing child’s body and brain. A good multi-sport program will focus on their physical development, but also have a strong understanding of the social and cognitive development of your child at each stage of life. This is critical to help kids build up their confidence and competence so that they can participate and enjoy physical activity for a lifetime. Learning more about a multi-sport program’s methodology, or how they work to teach children sports, is a great way to determine if this is the right program for your family. You’ll want to look for a program that helps kids build confidence in their sports skills while having fun!
Coach Qualifications
You will want to make sure that a multi-sport program has coaches that understand how to teach and make sport fun for kids. That means they can breakdown the skills of each sport in an age-appropriate manner. Teaching a 2-year-old how to play soccer is very different than teaching a 10-year-old! A 2-year-old might need a story about a rocket ship to kick a soccer ball far and high while a 10-year-old is building confidence and leadership skills during soccer game play. Programs that invest in coach education and certification will ensure your children get the expert guidance they need to develop their skills and have fun.
Sports Included
A great multi-sport program will include as many sports as possible. Some multi-sport programs can include up to 8 sports! While having exposure to a bunch of sports is great, be sure that there is variety in the sports that are played. You’ll want to look for sports that teach your child all of the fundamental movement skills. For example, soccer mainly focuses on kicking and running, so ideally this is paired with a sport like basketball to work on jumping, throwing, and catching, and a sport like tennis to teach striking with a racquet or stick. The more sports and variety will provide your child with a strong foundation in physical literacy.
Good Reviews
Like anything these days, any reputable multi-sport program should have a host of positive reviews from parents online. A highly reviewed multi-sport program provider, such as Sportball (see the Sportball Calgary reviews), will have multiple, positive, and informative reviews, which demonstrates that they are doing things right! You might also get a sense for how the company handles negative feedback and how responsive they are to customers in general.
Location
No one wants to drive 45 minutes across town to take their child to a program only to have to drive them back home less than an hour later. Location matters! An established multi-sport program should offer a variety of locations across your city to make it convenient for you.
Class Size
Class size can vary drastically depending on age, the host location/facility, and number of coaches. Many parents are understandably concerned about how many kids are on the field or in the gym in any sports program because they feel this impacts the amount of time their child gets to play. The more important question is, “How does this program work to engage every child?” A great multi-sport program is creative in how it includes and engages with each child, like providing everyone with their own ball when practicing skills and offering parent-child classes during toddlerhood when more 1-1 focused attention is required.
Let’s get started!
Sportball’s multi-sport program teaches kids a variety of different sports, develops their core movement skills, and builds the foundation for a life of fun in sport. Sportball offers year-round multi-sport programs, designed by experts and led by professionally certified coaches, for kids 16 months to 12 years. Be sure to check out Sportball’s multi-sport programs in your area and read How to Prepare your Child for a Successful Sportball Season for tips and tricks prior to your child’s first class.
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