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Daddy Plays Best
Sharing Your Athletic Interests With Your Kids By Jonathon Allen
Likewise, there are more opportunities than ever for kids to learn the basics of sports, providing parents around the world the ability to get their kids into swimming pools or even out on ski slopes at an early age. Classes are available in just about any sport for kids from toddlerhood on.
"My father taught me how to ski when I was 4 by holding me between his legs as we carved down the bunny hill together," says Steve Wyatt, a 33-year-old construction contractor and father of 6-year-old Seth, from Breckenridge, Colo. "Of course, I was set on doing the same thing with my son, but it turned out to be much harder than I thought. We decided to put him in a ski school program a few times, and now he can out-ski the rest of us. We have a lot of fun skiing together, but it was good to have someone else teach him the basics."
"Children who pick up sports like swimming or skiing before they develop the inevitable fears that accompany growing older have a significantly easier time learning," says Dr. Bob Shepherd, a swimming coach and physical therapist from San Rafael, Calif. "So in that sense, the younger kids start, the better. Really, you can start teaching a child whenever they seem physically and emotionally mature enough to handle it. Though this is largely relative to the child, it is usually a good idea to wait until they are at least 4 to begin working on sports that require full body coordination."
Want to see more?
- Do you love the water? Teach your child to after reading H2-(N)O? Is Your Baby Ready for the Backstroke?
- Do you love the water? Teach your child to after reading In the Swim of Things: Getting Your Preschooler to Embrace the Water
- Make sure you're not pushing your little athlete too hard in Too Much Encouragement: Why overzealous parenting could harm your child
- Don't take your child for a ride until you read Biking and Your Child's Safety
