Kids and sports
What every parent should know
One of the most important children’s needs is the need for moving. Physical activity is one of the most important factors in the health of children. With the help of physical activity children develop physical and mental skills.
But children’s organism has its own specificities and constraints. Physical, psychological, biochemical, social and any other status that defines individual is different in children compared to adults, especially because children are still growing.
Most children meet their needs for physical activity through play and recreational activity, but more and more is growing number of kids who very early specialize in some kind of sport and begin with intensive training in order to play some competitive sport.
The biggest health risk in dealing with sports are sports injury. Not even children involved in sports activities are spared from these injuries.
Most of the injuries fall into frivolous injuries, but 5% are serious injuries such as fracture. But insufficient treatment and even for minor injury can later cause to be serious.
What you have to do:
Before your child starts with regular exercise or training for competition, take him to the doctor who will perform detailed checks in order to identify and avoid health risks that sports activities can cause.
Always make sure your child uses protective equipment that requires specific sports, and be sure that equipment and is appropriately sized.
Always insist that your child is doing exercises for warm-up and stretching before starting any sport activity. Warm muscles and optimally stretch ligaments will prevent serious injury.
Learn your child that they must stop with physical activity if they feel any pain.
If it comes to an injury, take the kid to medical examination and enforce the advised treatment. Strictly follow the instructions of your doctor when to start with physical activity again. Never return your child to the sport activities until there is a full function of the injured body part. It is not enough that there is no pain, the recovery must be complete! It is not bad to consult with a specialist in physical medicine.
Insist that coach or physical education teacher is trained to provide appropriate assistance.
Do not avoid talking with the coach about his methods of work, and even occasionally to control whether with your child he works in accordance with the rules of the profession. Ambition of coaching is not always in the best interest of the child.
Do not insist on team sports before the child has six years. Children under that age do not understand the concept of team play.
Always make sure whether the child has entered before and during the workout sufficient quantity of water in order to prevent the problem of dehydration in the body of the child.
And never forget that children in SPORTS seek fun, NOT THE RESULT.
