The Positive Effects of Youth Sports

Sometimes finding the activity or activities that really connect with your child can take a few tries. I remember when my son was 4 years old, I took him to a preschool soccer camp at the YMCA. He had a good time, but no interest in doing it again the next year. The next summer I enrolled him in karate classes. At first he was psyched, then the excitement wore off for him after a month or so and he was done with it. Wasn't his thing he told me. I took him to swimming classes and while he was glad to know how to swim better he wasn't into it was a sport. When he was almost 6, I signed him up for tee ball. And BINGO. He *loved* it. Every summer since then, he's played little league baseball. Now at 14, when he ran on his school's track team this year, he was still dedicated to playing baseball and endured the hectic schedule that occurred from slightly overlapping seasons. He's a real team player in this game, and it seems to fit him like a glove. He coaches his teammates (some who have never played or have only played a couple of seasons), he encourages them from the sidelines or from the field, and he is showing himself to have the capacity of a good leader. He has no idea, of course, since when I mentioned to him what a great inspiration he was to his team he shrugged it off as just something that he should do...something he said he seemed to only be able to do on the ball field. Watching him grow into a young man, I have seen how being involved in team sports has helped him flourish. It has taught him what it means to be part of a team, to encourage each other, to lead when called upon, and to work toward a common goal. Through the twittermoms site (http://www.twittermoms.com), I just learned of Liberty Mutual's Responsible Sports program. This program helps educates parents and coaches of the positive effects of sports in the lives of children. There's lots of good information on their website for parents including tips for helping your kids get the most out of their sports experience, and help with issues that sometimes arise. You can check out this great resource here: http://responsiblesports.com/
Have you found sports helpful to your child's development? How did you encourage them to find the activity that "clicks" for them?