T-Ball - Organized sports/ activities at a young age: Does it help to carve the pathway to adulthood?
My son William, (aka ‘Bur Bur’) has been participating for the first time this year in organized t-ball. I think back to the first day a month or two ago and am amazed at how far his whole team has come. With the encouragement of families and coaches, their eye and hand coordination, learning how to be team players, understanding the basics of the game all has come together so well.
When I was young, I was fortunate enough to participate in sports from grade school and even into my adult years playing on a tennis league. As I thought about it, it got me wondering what your experiences have been.
We want to hear from you below. Please share below!
1. What are your thoughts on organized sports/ activities?
2. Is there more to it than just playing the sport?
3. Did you find it has helped you or your children with other aspects of their lives?
4. How does it play a role in your life now?
By JoAnne Pastel, President and Founder, Farmer’s Hat Productions™. Co-Author of the Award Winning Bur Bur and Friends™ children’s book series - educating kids about sports, outdoor exploration and active play.
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July 6th, 2008 at 6:11 am
My kids ages 10, 9 and 6 all participated in softball/t-ball for the first time this spring. For the 6 yr old playing t-ball was really just something to do for fun. He spent more time playing in the dirt than he really did paying attention to the game. His team did end up winning the championship after having a pretty rough season but I am not sure that my son really learned anything.
Now my girls are at the age that they are very self centered. I think that playing a team sport helps them see that the world does not revolve around them and that the success of the team depends on each part of the team. At the beginning of the season my 9 year old did not want to even finish the season and now she is already signed up to play in the fall league. Our 10 year old really developed her hitting skills over the course of the season but does not really seem all that interested in playing again.
We told all the kids at the beginning of the season that they only had to play this one season and if they did not want to play after that, then fine no big deal.
I think sports can be very valuable in a kids life. However I hate to see kids that are over involved in activities. For our family the rule is one activity outside of our church activities. It was crazy at times this past ball season with 3 kids playing, but all in all we really enjoyed it and the kids had a great experience.
July 8th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Thanks for your response Stacy! You bring up a good point regarding children being over involved in activities. I find my son is non stop from morning to evening with lots of energy at 5 years old. In addition to his sport activities, I take him on outings to the Art Institute, exploring the outdoors or just visiting grandma. I also find he loves to go bowling. It is very important to have a balance with the activities.
I have found recently that my son is very interested in sports on his own. He has recently ask to take golf lessons which to my amazement he can hit the golf ball very well. When we were at our golf club recently he disappear and began to hit the balls on the driving range by himself.