What is the Youngest Age to Start Sports?
- Updated on 01 Oct 2022
- Sports
- Samadrita Chakraborty
- 4 mins read
Table of Contents
Before your child touches any milestone, you are standing there to cheer them up at your loudest. Every parent is like that, right? We celebrate our little one’s victory today and will cherish it tomorrow. But, do we think about the right time for their every accomplishment? If not, it is high time to do that. Admitting our children to a sport at a very early age does not make them champion athletes. There is a minimum age for sports, and you must strictly abide by that. Children who start their sports career at the right age have a huge potential to go miles.
What Is the Right Age to Start Sport?
Wisemen have often said, “Everything starts and ends at the time that is destined to be”. If your child starts their training for sports at the right age, they thrive on being an efficient sportsman with time. According to the experts, a child’s right age for sports is between 6-18. Seven has been considered the best age to start sports. Some have disagreed with this bar. Significant reasons are there to support the fact, and the article will unfold that in the upcoming paragraphs. Let’s delve deeper.
Are Kids’ Sports Right for Your child?
There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to human abilities. Some children speak for the first time after one year. Some choose to speak at six. So, it all depends on individual skills. Understand them to know the best age for your kids to play sports. Age and temperament are two factors to consider before allowing them to play.
Age is vital to ensure their physical development. Your kid must have specific body fitness to join sports. Otherwise, their bones may get injured if they are too fragile. Sports demand agility. Let your kid reach that age and decide on a sport for them.
Temperament is a factor because team spirit demands self-reliance and a mindset to work together. If your kid is too small to get training for such things, he will end up creating an asymmetry in the team. His attitude will hinder the team from bringing out their best.
Why Is the Division of Age Important for Sports?
Have you ever seen a caterpillar suddenly turn into a butterfly before its time has come? Nothing happens before the decided time. If it does, one has to be ready for its consequences also. So, understand why age division is a compulsory thing for sports.
3-5 Year
At the age of 3, children’s bones are at a developing stage. Expert medical practitioners suggest that most children receive an irreparable injury later in sports because they start sports early. A sportsman has to be ready with his physical and mental fitness to defeat all the possibilities of injuries. Early age, like 3, gives them that flexible time.
6-11 Year
As mentioned, 7 is the ideal age to begin sports. Children’s rational thinking ability grows, and they develop the concepts of winning and losing. Besides, they start getting aware of their accomplishments and the importance of rewards. So, this is a crucial time to start sports. As the power of rational thinking starts filling their minds, they begin to compare themselves with others and an urge for betterment rises.
12 and Above
Children develop a complete sense of community and team spirit after the age of 12. So, this is the best time for them to analyse their own performance. Your kids reach on top of excellence by this age when you follow the minimum age for sports. Growth is a holistic factor, and it comes circularly. Sports at the right time contribute a lot to children’s growth.
An Age-By-Age Guide to Picking the Best Sport for Your Children?
6-9 Age
Children’s ability to concentrate, vision, transitional skills, and attention spans increase with growing age. If you strive to bring your child as a javelin thrower, this is the perfect age to start sports like throwing. Children’s adaptability to follow directions works like a sharp-edged sword at this age. Therefore, organised activities like swimming, football, running, gymnastics, tennis and martial arts are some highly-recommended sports for this age group.
10 & above
10 is the perfect age to join team sports. Children start understanding the spirit of team games. Besides, they know how their contribution to a team matters. Thus, they take winning or losing as a whole concept, making it the perfect age for children to indulge in team sports like basketball, volleyball, football, netball, and hockey.
Why Are Team Sports Important for Teenagers?
Slightest Chance of Developing Breast Cancer
According to The American Cancer Society, children have the most negligible chances of developing breast cancer from a tender age while active in sports.
Taking Ownership and Responsibility
Taking part in team sports encourages children to take ownership. As they start releasing their importance in a team, responsibility comes automatically.
Physically Fit
Children become physically active and feel an urge to work when they are involved in sports.
Avoiding Obesity
Do you not feel that sports work as a blessing to get rid of obesity? In the 21st century, kids suffer from two diseases the most, obesity and issues with eyesight. Sports can do away with both of them.
Takes Care of Emotional Wellness
Not only physical wellness, but sports also bless your children with emotional wellness. Physical activities stimulate hormones in the human body, and the normal secretion of dopamine and adrenaline fuels their emotional well-being.
Be it sports or academics, starting at the right age adds values your child carries throughout life. So, your knowledge about the minimum age for sports escalates your child’s healthy growth. There are thousands of parents waiting to acquire this knowledge. Won’t you help them by sharing this blog with them?
Also Read…
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Perfect Sports for Your Child
