Do you think sport is important for kids?

[Elijahs Mum]

I was just thinking about the Olympic thread and peoples attitudes to sport in general but how important is sport to your child? DH and I are very keen to get DS into sport , when choosing his school their sporting facilities and culture did play a big part in our choice, DH is very sporty and believes it teaches kids ( and from his experience boys especially) discipline, loyalty, courage , how to be a team player , how to win and lose and obviously has many health benefits , 21 month DS already loves watching his dad play soccer and ride , do you encourage your kids to play sport or do you think it is really not that important?

[Mod-Zeddie]

I think sport is awesome for kids. It just seems everything is so competitive nowadays though! No sports seem to be "just for fun"
I would love DS to be into a sport but not care so much about winning or losing

[MsTruth]

I was just thinking about the Olympic thread and peoples attitudes to sport in general but how important is sport to your child? DH and I are very keen to get DS into sport , when choosing his school their sporting facilities and culture did play a big part in our choice, DH is very sporty and believes it teaches kids ( and from his experience boys especially) discipline, loyalty, courage , how to be a team player , how to win and lose and obviously has many health benefits , 21 month DS already loves watching his dad play soccer and ride , do you encourage your kids to play sport or do you think it is really not that important?

I agree with all of your DH's reasons.

Another reason for me is that my whole family and I are overweight and so I want to try and prevent DS going the and sport will be the key to this.

[duckduckgoose]

No. I completely sucked at all sports in school and was made by my parents to do one "sport". For years it was ballet, then one year it was swimming and another year hockey before they finally agreed to let me quit sport. It was a source of nothing but humiliation, embarrassment and low -esteem for me. And many of the girls on my hockey team and in my ballet class were nothing but super competitive nasty bishes.

[Tainted]

I will certainly encourage my son to play sports. He is 18 months and adores throwing and kicking, and loves watching kids playing soccer at the oval. We just started gymnastics and I will enroll him in Little Athletics as soon as he is old enough. I think sport is essential for young children, learning how to play in a team as well as helping them find enjoyment from a physical activity and time outdoors. I would never force my child into something but I think my parents let me get away with not involving myself in extraciricular activites. I would much prefer my son to spend his afternoon at sports practice (so long as its not AFL) after school/on weekends rather than sitting infront of a computer or TV.

[ShanandBoc]

I think physical activity is very important but not necessarily competitive sport

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[Ffrenchknickers]

My kids so far are very sporty so yes. I will always give them the opportunity to play sport. My life is extra curricular lol. If they are not sporty I will not force them but will always insist on daily physical activity.

[giggle berry]

I agree with your DH in regards to the benefits of sport so yes, I will encourage DS to be involved in some sort of sport. Having said that if it turns out that sport is not something he enjoys then I will aim to introduce physical activity and those lessons/values in some other way.

[Sariele]

I think physical activity is very important but not necessarily competitive sport

This is exactly how I feel. I was always terrible at sports (I was a dancer) and I hated how I was made to feel by the teachers and kids at my sports-obsessed primary school. Particularly the b!tches who were into netball, they were suich cows whenever I stuffed up on the court when I was forced to play, and that was just meant to be "fun", non-competitive weekly sport sessions. DH hates sport and has no interest in it at all. He's a geek and is most at home behind a computer or on the couch.

However, I 100% condone being fit and healthy, and if my kids don't like or aren't great at sport, I will be encouraging them to take up solo activities like running, physical play to develop gross motor skills, etc. As for learning about gracious winning/losing and teamwork, there are many other non-physical activities where you can gain experience in these.

[MothersMilk]

I think physical activity is very important but not necessarily competitive sport

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Exactly what i was going to say.
I will always encourage my children to be active but that doesn't have to be via sport.