You have exhausted the local park, been to the library already this week, and are looking for something outside of the house to keep your kids entertained and help them burn off some energy. A parent at school was raving about a soccer program they signed their kid up for, but you think, is it too soon, will my 3-year-old and 5-year-old really enjoy playing soccer at such a young age? Is it too early to start my kids in sport?
That’s a great question, what is the best age to start your child in sports? There are many benefits to starting your child in sports at any age, even as early as toddlerhood, if done in a fun and safe environment where they can develop age-appropriate physical, emotional, social, and psychological skills. When we introduce children to sport properly, we ensure that they build a life-long, positive relationship with sport and physical activity.
In this guide, we’ll teach you what skills your child has and what to look for in a kids sports program at each age and stage.
When Should Kids Start Playing Sports?
There is a concept called “sports readiness”, which means that a child’s development matches the requirement of the sport they are participating in. Children of all ages are ready to participate in sport as long as the structure of the program meets the skill level of the child. What you look for in a sports program for a 3-year-old is going to be different than what you look for in a sports program for a 10-year-old. This is because a child’s physical, psychological, and social skills progress as the child ages. Let’s break down the skills children have by age and what we need to look for in a sports program at each stage.
Sports for Kids 1.5-3 Years: Focus on Fundamentals and Free Play
Physical Development
Toddlers have become more confident on their feet, they are running, climbing, jumping, balancing, and fundamental movement skills like, throwing and kicking, are starting.
Social Development
Toddlers are still very in tune with what their parents are doing and learn many skills through copying their parents. Toddlers are aware of other toddlers during play but often play side by side or in similar activities with limited interactions.
Psychological Development
At this stage, toddlers’ imaginations are blossoming, and they are starting to play and explore their world in a whole new way. This is why toddlers learn best through a combination of observing and free play! Research and experts, like the Canadian Pediatric Association and American Academy for Pediatrics, agree that a program designed to incorporate skill development into free play is the best for toddlers to learn.
Program Requirements
Remember toddlers are working through milestones, like throwing, kicking, catching, running, jumping, so organized sport is not recommended at this age. Your toddler will need a program that breaks down sport skills into appropriate steps for their current gross motor development.
You’ll want to look for programs with a lower ratio of children to coaches or programs that encourage parents to participate. Toddlers need this adult support to build confidence as they develop their skills. Don’t worry about how much your toddler is playing with other toddlers during their sports program, they may not quite developmentally ready for this yet. Avoid programs that are too structured. You will need a program that plays on your toddler’s imagination to learn new movement skills and allows plenty of time for free play to give your toddler the opportunity to explore what they just learned.
Sports for Kids 3-5 Years: Developing Skills and Gaining Independence
Physical Development
Children are becoming more coordinated and starting to slowly improve their gross motor skills. This means they are throwing and jumping a little further, learning to catch, balancing on one leg for a couple seconds longer, and starting to climb and explore the playground on their own.
Social Development
This is one of the biggest changes from toddlerhood. Preschoolers become more independent from their parents and are starting to build their first friendships. They start to engage in cooperative play, meaning children are interested in both the activity and other children they are playing with.
Psychological Development
Preschoolers can follow more instructions, better communicate their needs and emotions, understand basic rules, and further develop their imaginative play.
Program Requirements
As with toddlerhood, you should look for a program that breaks down sports skills into achievable steps, allows time for free play to explore their new movement skills, and uses imagination to engage toddlers in sport. Preschoolers are still not ready for organized sport, but they are ready for a little more independence in their sport program.
This means that your preschooler is likely ready to listen and observe their coach and peers to learn new movement skills without the support of their parents. Parents, you can have a much-needed break during your preschooler’s sports program!
Sports for Kids 6-8 Years: Introduction to Organized Sports
Physical development
Coordination, strength, endurance, vision, and balance continue to develop meaning gross motor skills are advancing. Kids start to work on transitional movement skills, which are combined gross motor skills (e.g. running and kicking a soccer ball) or gross motor skills with a variation (e.g. throwing for distance).
Social development
Children are starting to build stronger friendships at this age. Play develops from the imaginative play of their younger years to more rule-based games. They are better able to understand their emotions and develop social skills like compassion and empathy. Children can do more things by themselves and become increasingly independent from their parents.
Psychological development
Enhanced problem-solving ability and planning blossom at this age. Kids can think of multiple parts of a problem at one time, can concentrate for longer periods of time, and can start to create simple plans. They are better able to communicate and have a better understanding of moral rules like, right vs wrong or good vs bad.
Program Requirements
This is the start of organized sports! Sport programs should focus on fundamental movement skills and the development of transitional movement skills. Kids at this age have limited attention span and are just venturing into the world of organized sport, so rules should be flexible, instruction time should be short, and games should be inclusive with minimal competition. The focus should be on learning and fun!
Look for entry-level sports that focus on growing movement skills like, soccer, baseball, swimming, running, skating, gymnastics, dance, biking, and racquet sports, like tennis. An even better option is a multi-sport program that provides kids with the opportunity to explore a variety of sports and develop more movement skills. Try to avoid sports that require more complex visual needs, advanced motor skills, quick decision making, and detailed strategy (i.e. football, basketball, hockey, and volleyball) unless these sports are modified for younger players.
Sports for Kids 8-12 Years: Advanced Participation in Sport
Physical Development
Preteens start to progress from transitional movement skills towards more complex movement skills. Complex movement skills often require multiple body parts and a combination of coordination and balance. For example, a layup in basketball, a serve in tennis, or vaulting in gymnastics.
Social Development
Friends become more and more important. Preteens start to grasp the concept of leadership and build on their teamwork skills.
Psychological Development
Preteens can think more logically, use their advancing communication skills, and are becoming efficient problem solvers. They are also developing their abstract thinking skills. Individual strengths and weaknesses, along with interests, become more obvious and they develop a sense of identity.
Program Requirements
Preteens should continue to focus on motor skill development. The goal is for preteens to be able to develop their complex movement skills. They should learn strategies and tactics in sport and how to work together as a team. Preteens are developing their interests and should be able to have a choice in the type of sports program they participate in. Ongoing development and having fun are key and there is no need for competitive sport at this stage.
It is important to note that growth and strength differences slowly start to diverge between boys and girls, but the differences are small, and preteens can participate together at these ages. Preteens can start exploring sports that require more complex movement skills and strategy like football, basketball, ice hockey, and volleyball.
How to Choose the Right Time to Start Kids Sports
Whether you are registering your child in a sports program for the first time or considering moving your child up to the next level, it is important to remember that social, physical, and psychological milestones happen at slightly different ages and stages for every child. Parents, you know your child best! See what skills are required in a sports program and choose a program that aligns with your child’s abilities.
If your child is new to a sport, it is nice to do a trial session in the sports program and use the feedback from your child and the coach to see if it is a good fit. If you are looking to move your child up a level, check in with your child and coaches to a get a sense of how your child is enjoying sport, their skill level, and how they are using their social skills to get a sense of if your child is ready.
How to Help Your Child have a Positive and Safe Experience in Sport
- Make Sport Fun: Fun is the main reason kids love sport. Keep it fun and kids will continue to enjoy sport.
- Child’s Skill and Opinion Matter: Choose a program that matches your child’s age and skill level. Use our guide to determine what to look for! Continue to check in with your child about how they are enjoying the sports program they are in and make changes if the program is not a good fit. You know your child best!
- Coaches Matter: Meet with coaches or do a trial class prior to registering. Coaches should understand child development at each age and run their programs to match your child’s needs and build their confidence. Avoid coaches who are overly critical and competitive.
- Be a Supportive Parent: Provide positive support, encourage your kid in their sport, and keep the focus on having fun versus winning.
- Building the foundation: An optimal sports program for children should focus on motor skill development, learning basic sports skills and rules, and fun over competition.
- Balance and Variety: Avoid having children specialize in one sport. Expose children to a variety of sports, so they can learn different motor skills, avoid overuse injury and burnout, and find what they like. Ensure that children have time to just be kids. Don’t overschedule children with sports practices and games outside of school time.
Ready to Register Your Child in Sport!
Now you have all the knowledge on when to start your child in sport. You are all set to help your child venture into the world of sport and build a lasting relationship with sport and physical fitness.
If you are looking for sports programs that offers developmentally appropriate sports to kids, Sportball is the perfect fit. Sportball offers multi-sport and individual sports programs, like soccer, basketball and t-ball, starting at 16 months old up to 12 years old. Feel free to reach out to us for more information, register in a trial class, or enrol in a program. We can’t wait to work with you and your child!
