Awesome kid????

Of course your child is awesome! Everyone else thinks their child is awesome as well.....and they are right. Tell your child how great it is that they are participating in something, but remind them that everyone else is participating too. Even if they do extremely well, being a gracious winner is just as important as being a gracious loser.

Kids love to play, and they should be encouraged to do just that.

Hard lessons

When should a child be consoled after making a mistake that changes the outcome of a game? Young children should be participating for the fun and experience of the situation. They are still learning and winning should not be the main objective. Older kids can be expected to know certain rules and understand the consequences if they do not act accordingly.

Teens and up can and should be held accountable for their actions when participating in highly competitive situations.

Sports and their hard lessons help kids learn about life and themselves.

equipment

Does the best ( most expensive ) equipment really make a difference? Probably not if you are a 6 year old trying soccer or baseball for the first time, but most definitely if you are a top ranked tennis player or a serious runner or biker.

Kids trying things need serviceable equipment, not the most expensive. Save your money for the sport or activity that you child sticks with!

Mouth guards

Everyone should wear a mouth guard when participating in sports. The guard will protect you from serious tooth injuries, and can prevent bloody lips as well. It is not just for convenience, but also the expense and pain of dental work!

My son has braces and he got hit in the mouth this weekend while playing baseball. One of his brackets came loose and now has to be fixed. He was NOT wearing his mouth guard!

Real Expectations

Sometimes we forget what it is like to learn something new because as adults we rarely take on anything we don't WANT to do. But kids are faced with learning something new almost daily, and they get graded on how they perform. The pressure to do well is constant in school and if parents add the same pressure on kids when it comes to sports the consequences can be disastrous.

Sports should be FUN for kids! If you are counting on a college scholarship for your child - STOP PUTTING THAT ON YOUR CHILD!!!!! If they have the drive, talent and desire they will let you know. If not, the experience of participating in a healthy activity will still benefit your child.

Millions of kids participate in youth sports and only a VERY small percentage ever get to play at the college level. Have realistic expectations and help your child get the lessons of sportsmanship and teamwork that come from sports.

Frisbees

When was the last time you tossed around a frisbee? If you haven't tried it in a while, you are in for a treat! The frisbees are really well made and high tech compared to my childhood ones. There are some that are specially made for distance, and others made to be extremely accurate. You can even find frisbee golf courses set up in many public parks now.

Grab your family and friends and get out there!

No Talent?

Can you have fun doing things you really have no natural talent for? Of course! Most people who golf or play tennis or bowl are not nearly as good as the pros - but that does not keep them from having fun doing their personal best at it. I have never been a very fast runner, but I get such enjoyment from my runs that even if I am the last one in a race I don't care! I hope I can pass along that kind of experience to everyone who thinks " I'm not good enough".

God does not expect you to be THE best, he expects you to do YOUR best. If that is good enough for God, it should be good enough for you, so get out there and MOVE!

Scooters!

If you want a great workout that takes you back to when you were a kid, just ride around all day on scooters! You remember the flat squares with wheels? Great ab and thigh workout. Plus it is just a blast. After the safety rules are learned the games are almost endless. My favorite is horse and buggy, what is yours?

Field Day

Should field day be about participation or competition? There are good arguments on both sides. I like a combination of the two. Some events that are given 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards to promote a healthy competition amongst the schools best; and some events that are purely a participation station. We have math competitions and score those, why not allow the best athletes to shine for a day? But the day should include something fun for everyone!

What do you think?

Indoor Golf!

We are playing indoor golf this week! We have blow up targets and birdie balls for the kids to put and chip. The kids have had so much fun with this! I even got a few teachers to stay and try! This is a blast, and every school should try it.