What’s the best way to encourage children to take up sport?

Question

Yahoo! Answers staff note: This is the real Ernie Els. Look here for more detail: http://uk.blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-qT1KKP…

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Encourage them from the time they are young, start them early. Lead them from the front - don't tell them they should take up sport, spend time with them in playing outdoor games. But, most importantly, don't ever force them into doing anything, else they will take dislike to sporting activities.

While you can start them off with swimming (one of the sporting activities) at a very early age, once they join school, encourage them to participate in school sports. Be there to cheer them when they are participating in any school sport activity and if they don't win any prizes, don't discourage them by critcizing them.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

A succinct and nicely balanced answer. Sport is about enjoyment, we need to begin by showing kids how much fun they can have without being too pushy.

Answer 2

I would suggest you join in with them.

Answer 3

Pedal powered playstations!

Answer 4

If you are a parent, it's to do it yourself. When they see you doing it and enjoying it, they'll want to do it. Then, when they take it up, take an interest in it. Go and watch them, cheer them on. Take winning and losing in your stride and get them to do the same.

Answer 5

Find one they enjoy.
When they are young tell them it'll make them strong, they love that and are then keen to participate.
We do the same thing to get our children to eat veg.

Answer 6

The best way to get children to join a sport, is to, let them see how much fun it can be. Like by taking them to see other people play it. Or just going with them your self to give it a try. Also, Somtimes if they have a friend with them to enjoy it, they will want to do it again. If they really have fun with it, ask them if they would like to join it.

Answer 7

by taking part yourself and also making it fun
and enjoyable

Answer 8

Take them to a variety of events, ie tennis march, football game, golfing tournament. Then if they seem interested find out if there are any local groups where they can learn to do which ever sport they are interested in, I would also find out if their school has any after school clubs like football team, basket ball etc. Let them try out anything they want, eventually they will find something they enjoy and stick to it. My son used to caddy for his dad, now he plays it, my daughter wasnt into sports at all, but instead she took up Highland Dancing, and excelled at it, winning several competitions when she was dancing, unforunatley school work came before dancing when she hit her fourth year and exams were deemed more important.
Schools should also give them different sports to try rather than the usual, hockey, football, badminton etc, give the children a choice of what they want to do.

Answer 9

Ban them from ever doing it

Answer 10

As adults we need to compete, or at least participate, ourselves. Nothing is better than a good example to encourage children. I know it has worked in my family.

Answer 11

Turn OFF the TV - remember when we didn't even have TV back in the 60's hey Ernie ?
Ja that was lekker hey - go outside and just play.
Then get organized with real competitive games. Ja those were the days hey ? - Now I'm living in America. And loving every minute of it.

Answer 12

Don't encourage them. It's a cause of accidents, and in later life, trouble with arthritis and other bone diseases. It's bad for them, in growing kids it causes stretch marks on their skin and can damage their spine and knee joints. Sport is also an excuse for not developing the academic skills. Don't encourage them.

Answer 13

The best way to encourage a child to take up a sport is to do it with them. you can both have fun and stay fit.

Answer 14

Introduce them to as many different sports as possible, let them discover the ones they enjoy most, then give them every encouragement

Answer 15

get them playing from an early age, make sport more interesting than the TV. Encourage them to walk or cycle.
Choose family activities that get everyone involved in some way.
Centre PARCs is a good family holiday based around sporting activities.

If they don't like a sport you can't force them to play otherwise it would put them off, just try and find something that they do enjoy.

I have two boys who love any kind of sport, but they have always been encouraged to play and we have always been positive about it, we never force them or criticise them when they don't do so well.

Answer 16

Getting sporting icons like Ernie Els to encourage parents to get their kids to take up sport.

Source(s):

This is the real Percyboy

Answer 17

Lead by example! Be willing to make sacrifices in the name of their chosen sport. Sunday mornings on the sidelines ~ Thursday night pick up at the swimming baths Encourage and support all the way!

Answer 18

Take them along, join in with them and buy the equipment (There first golf club each cost £5 each) that goes with it (they had a set for chistmas, but i had to draw line at them swinging them in the living room). My two sons love golf and my eldest sons school now take them along during PE lessons...it's a gentlemans sport, it teaches them etiquette, manners and is good for business, schmooz a client on the golf course. My youngest son always has a football attached to his foot, and loves cars, especially formula one sadly i don't have formula one money but i encourage him, and if thats the profession he wants to go into, it'll be tough but perseverance is the answer. Life is what you make it and you have to work HARD at what you want to be.

Answer 19

To play with them, to cheer for them and to love and encourage them no matter how they perform. There is much that is learnt through sports

Answer 20

make them pick a sport that THEY like the most..

like maby if there a girl, she can take cheerleading or soemth ing and if he's a boy then maby football

Or tell him or her that..they will have tons of more freinds if they do and they will turn popular.. [ maby]

Answer 21

Not everyone is an athelete. Therefore, it is important to make sure that despite poor performance that kids have fun playing sport. This may be easier to do if the child is competing against him/herself. For example, do a social but solitary sport. that is rather than a team sport where a child can become frustrated if they are seen to bring down a team, encourage them to take up an individual sport e.g. golf, skiing, swimming, skating etc. All of these are fun to participate in but it doesn't matter if they are not great at it. They just need to have fun.

Source(s):

My own experience. I was lousy at team sports but love skiing.

Answer 22

Leading by example - I got my daughters into Yoga bugs after I started a pilates class to help with a back injury sustained as a teenager when I rowed for my school. They also go to swimming lessons and we walk everywhere we can regardless of the weather. My son has just started to pedal his trike (he's just tuned 2) because we have encouraged him and he sees both his sisters and his dad cycling for fun so wants to join in.
We have also taken them to sporting events to let them see a wide range of activities. Our local primary school actively promotes sports and often brings in specialist coaches to give the pupils a taster in different disciplines - they have tried hockey already this term and all classes have PE twice a week.

Answer 23

i remember when i was at school the PE teachers used to stand there and laugh out loud at my best friend and I trying to play tennis, and when they took us swimming i was told to practice a rescue manoeuvre on my best friend, trouble was i couldnt swim and nearly drowned my buddy!! The PE teachers should actually be teaching the students and not just ignoring people without natural ability, i still couldnt swim when i left school and started to swim at 30 years old when i went for lessons. by the end of my first lesson i was swimming!!!!

It would be nice if the kids could be rewarded for taking extra sports by gaining points which can be swapped for trainers and other sports gear

Answer 24

Taking up a sport isn't the problem, it's getting them to continue once the novelty worn off, when friends aren't doing it anymore. Offer more choices at school even if that means sports lessons outside school premises. Encourage local clubs to offer free taster sessions especially in sports not currently offered at school. Find a good local club in their chosen sport with qualified coaches who will encourage them and not pressure kids into performing great. If your kids want you to join in or attend each session do so, but remember some kids won't want you to, it's their time so go with the flow. There's nothing more embarassing to a youngster than a pushy parent. You can show your support at matches or events or when you pick them up from training sessions, when they will be eager to tell you how well or badly they did.

Answer 25

i think encouraging children to get into sports should come from the home and the school i feel that the schools here in britain dont do enough for the kids when it comes to sports and is really important that we as parents encourage them to play sports for example i have a little 2 year old boy and i play ball games like football with him because i want him to be active and to stay fit and encourage him to take up other sports when he gets olders.
The schools should have more sports and after school sports clubs available available for children thats the big problem children get bored and that is why they are sitting in the house playing computer games and getting up to mischief because there is not many after school clubs it would answer all our problems to childhood obsesity. for girls though it would be very hard to get them into sports such as football , rugby the schools should set up after school dance and aerobics classes.
There is also not enough p.e classes during school either and this is very sad because p.e can be enjoyable so there should be more p.e classes and also gives the kids a break from studying and exercise will help their brains too.

Answer 26

Encouragement from adults - teachers can play a big role. Get the media idols of children - pop 'musicians' to extol the fun of sport. Encourage MacDonalds to give away free footballs with their "happy meals" instead of Furbys and the like.

Allow more adults to play sport, especially us older ones - if kids see us older ones enjoying sport then they will be encouraged to do it. The British Sports Council should be setting up, and encouraging over-forties football and cricket leagues. Perhaps a levy on fast foods could pay for this.

I have a personal example of older people encouraging youngsters. I work as a Security Officer at a UK Criminal Courthouse. A couple of youngsters who had been at my Court for a trial on a minor issue happened to see my wife and myself playing single-wicket cricket, for fun, on a local artificial pitch provided by our local authority, and they saw me hit a "six" of my wife's bowling. One of them said "I like you - that was a good shot, you two have got b*lls". They are now both signed up as playing members with the local cricket club. I'm fifty, and the wife is forty-five.

Answer 27

When the kids are very young but can walk and keep balance,
the father should practise sport with them as a fun game. I had 5
kids, and one became a senior National Record holder and champ
when he was 15, and qualified for the Olympics at 16. The others
also did well but not competitively.

Answer 28

hmm... interesting. S'pose all's been done already over the years.

Why not re-invent the wheel!!!

Answer 29

By giving them ample time to play the games they like

Answer 30

tell them that they are not allowed to that should do the trick

Answer 31

By making it affordable for the masses and not just the elite.