Your young daughter is doing cartwheels in her room and already broke 3 lamps? Or she's using your new sofa as a trampoline? Your young boy is kicking the soccer ball on the house wall and it cost you a bay window? Or you are just a parent who thinks that sport is a good thing for young children? Whatever the reason is, you are now faced with helping your daughter or son make some important decisions. Which sport is the right sport for my child? Is my child too young to become involved in competitive sports? Which program or coach in my community will provide the best possible experience for my child? There are no simple answers to these questions because each child is unique and the decisions must match the child. Let me try to give you some guidelines.

It's not easy to determine how early to start in organized sports. Children of the same age vary considerably in their physical and psychological maturation, and there is no practical method of measuring maturity. Assuming the child has shown interest, three or four is generally a good age for organized sports. Of course, it depends of the sport. While swimming lessons can be taken at 3 months old, kayaking needs a little more maturity ;-)

At the early ages participation should be limited to sports that involve a lot of physical activity and encourage the development of major motor muscles. Sports like gymnastic, soccer, swimming are good examples. Contact/collision sports are not a good choice for young children.

Children benefit most from games that are modified to meet their needs and abilities. Play and fun are more important to this age group than highly structured sports that emphasize the outcome rather than the process. Parents and coaches are usually the ones concerned about winning and losing. When helping your child select a sport, keep balance in mind. Encourage your children to try many sports and activities when young and not to think of specializing or playing competitively until they reach middle school. Make sure a balance also occurs between adult organized activities and free playtime. Children need time to just be kids and to play with other kids without a set of rules or adult involvement.

The most important decisions to make, are which youth sports organizations and which coaches are best for your child. Make sure that you take the time to find out about the organization, its leaders and coaches. Ask them to describe the philosophy that guides their program. For example, is it win-loss focused or skill learning focused. What is the experience and training background of the coaches? Go visit the facilities, watch a training session and/or a game. Good organizations will always be happy to answer your questions and they can even offer you a free session with no obligation.

Participating in sports is a healthy way, both physically and socially, for your children to channel their youthful energy in a positive direction. Make sure your children's first experience encourages them to begin a lifelong interest in physical activities and good health.