Dear Editor,
As our August holidays quickly come to an end and parents prepare for the re-opening of school, I want to remind them of the importance of sport in our children’s lives, from preschoolers to high-schoolers.
During the past month, I was very pleased to see a number of sporting disciplines conduct ‘Summer Programmes for Children’. This positive activity must be commended; in particular, the more organised Junior Sports Programmes out there like swimming, table tennis, tennis (formerly lawn tennis) and archery.
Activity is important. For the most part, sports programmes in Guyana and around the world for our very young ones are primarily about having fun. If it is a team sport, a score is usually not kept (although chances are that you’ll find a child who does) and the focus is on safety and a very loose interpretation of the rules. For individual sports, again, safety and the basic parameters of the sport of choice are covered.
Whether team or individual, sports are undoubtedly a great way to encourage fitness and develop important social and motor skills. Players also learn persistence and determination. Having a child active in sports is a really great way to help boost self-esteem and confidence in addition to helping instil important life skills, like good communication habits and being a team player.
No matter what we as parents decide, it’s very important to make sure that our child is active, whether it is through one of the organised sports programmes or disciplines, or just running around outside as we did when we ourselves were small. It’s well-known that an hour of exercise is the minimum.
And just a reminder, if you have your heart set on your child playing a sport but (s)he just isn’t interested right now, don’t throw in the towel just yet. As (s)he gets older and more mature and confident in his/her physical abilities, chances are that enthusiasm will be there!
Yours faithfully,
Mommy V
