When is a child ready for organized sport? The American Academy of Pediatrics suggest that most children are ready at age 6. What we do know though is playing organized sport is NOT play. These two are different and we should encourage both. When children have fun playing sports, they are more likely to remain involved in athletic programs and stay physically active throughout childhood. They begin to realize the lifelong health benefits for the developing body, brain and self-worth. Every one of these areas need to be nurtured appropriately. Utilizing experts to assist in this development is often underutilized. Using a nutritionist, sports trainer, mental performance coach can assist a family with these developing these in the healthiest of ways.
That is the message from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which has updated recommendations for families and communities that urge an emphasis on enjoyment of sports -- instead of winning -- as the ultimate goal. We know that the most successful athletes and performers in their respective sport know that enjoyment and focusing on the process not the outcome will lead to chances at winning. Coaches and Parents are responsible for helping student-athletes understand that at process they take is what will give them the best opportunity at winning.
The clinical report, “Organized Sports for Children, Preadolescents, and Adolescents,” published in the June 2019 issue of Pediatrics, details ways to include more children and teens in sports and suggests how pediatricians can help through their conversations with families.
Most young athletes typically learn skills and values that they can use in everyday life. Teaching these mental skills is my strength and through my training is what I do best. Understanding the friendships and teamwork needed on a playing field offers lasting lessons on personal responsibility, sportsmanship, goal-setting and emotional control. Learning how to manage these provide opportunities to improve the well-being in some youth who are medically at risk, and it also has been associated with improved mental stability for those who participate.
During these ever-changing times providing organized sport opportunities for children will level out the present anxiety that children are facing while going back to school and re-integrating back to the new normal!
Robert Price is the owner of Elite Minds, LLC is a mental performance consulting service that promotes professionals exceeding their potential in every field of human endeavor. This is accomplished through proven mental skill techniques that will lead the professional to more consistent performances even in the face of adversity. We understand how to get the brain and body working together as a team. Robert W.H. Price founded Elite Minds in 2000 as a graduate student and has created successful inroads since for hundreds of clients. He is an expert applying specific mental skills and techniques that cultivate the mental and emotional strength necessary to thrive in an era of overwhelming demands and persistent conflict.
Robert Price has received Master’s degrees from both University of Maryland in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sport Psychology and Johns Hopkins 
University in Clinical Community Counseling. Mr. Price also holds a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University, where he majored in Psychology and Learning Behavior Disorders. He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh prior to transferring to Hampton University. He is a licensed clinical professional counselor in the states of Maryland and Georgia and is also a National Certified Counselor granted by the National Board of Certified Counselors, Inc.
