Finding The Right Activity for Your Active Child

 

Ariane Horse Back riding

There is no denying the importance of keeping children active: from improving motor skills and helping children maintain a healthy weight to increasing learning capacity and developing healthy emotional skills. After school sports activities are a great way to keep kids moving and help them succeed by supporting their passions.

After school activities keep kids busy and away from the TV and from technology but they also expose them to different and new things and give them a sense of direction providing them with more opportunities for career exploration, boosting their self-esteem and improving their social skills. As a parent taking my kids to horseback riding and soccer not only helps me to understand them better but also provides me with the opportunity to learn about what they like and dislike and share the things they love with them, giving me insight into the best ways to motivate them and encourage them to succeed.  That is why I love taking my kids to their after school activities even if that means that we spend most of our afternoons on the go.

child playing soccer

We are still trying a lot of things out and giving kids the opportunity to explore different activities is a great way to find what they love and what they are excel at.  Here are some tips for finding the right after school activity for your child:

Know your child. No matter what activities he is doing make sure he is interested. If he likes soccer go out and play with him for a while and find if he is really into it. If you don’t have a good idea of what he likes you are going to have to be prepared to try a few different things until you find something he likes and don’t force him to do something you would like him to do. Remember that if he is not interested in the activity this will not benefit anybody in the long run.

Encouragement goes a long way. Most kids are not completely sure of what they really like, so if you start an activity and he wants to stop or quit encourage them to try again especially if is hard for him. Teaching children not to give up will give him the skills he needs to succeed in life. It is important as a parent to find the right balance between encouraging them and not forcing the activity on them, as insisting too much will only make the child resent it, and that is the last thing you what your kid to feel.

Remember that everybody is different. Know that everybody is different and embracing this will help you push your child in the right direction in life, know your child limitations as well as their strengths. Even activities you child likes if you push it too hard or too much they will start losing the love for it and even start resent it

Play games with your child. Playing active games with you child will not only help you keep him away from screens but it will also help you create great memories and bond. Whether you’re playing sports like basketball or playing active games indoors. Studies have shown that getting involved in playing with your child has a tremendous positive impact on his success later in life. And there’s no need to leave the house to look for a park or court to play soccer or basketball, there are lots of active games you can play at home. For example, a very sinple and active game you can play at home is ping pong. All you need for that is a decent ping pong table (great buying guide here) and a set of ping pong balls and rackets. That’s all. You’ll have some fun with your child and he’ll have fun while staying active and away from screens.  
Cesar Diaz
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8 thoughts on “Finding The Right Activity for Your Active Child”

  1. A mis hijos les encantan esas galletitas! Me encantaron los tips que nos compartiste, coincido contigo en que hay que alentarlos a no rendirse facimente ante los obstaculos y seguir intentando, pero sin forzarlos demasiado.

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  2. Great tips, Cesar! I think many parents tale their kids to ballet class or basketball because that’s what they wanted to do when they were kids, but is not what the child really wants, so I do agree that you need to know your kids and what they like

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  3. Muy cierto, no hay como tener a los chicos en actividades que les gusten, ayuden, les enseñe disciplinas o técnicas y los mantenga activos, mi pequeña practica Tae Kwon do y realmente la ayuda con la disciplina, respeto, focus, flexibilidad en el cuerpo y más, estamos muy contentos. Qué lindos tus nenes, me encantaron sus fotos y sus actividades, muchas gracias por la recomendación, no conocía esa versión de Honey Maid. Saludos y

    ¡FELIZ DÍA!ॐ
    http://mamaholistica.com

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  4. puedes creer que nunca las e probado?! they look tasty! 🙂 my parents encouraged us to try all sports/activity and were always so proud no matter how good (or not so good)we were 😀

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