Child Development

Unstructured Free Play Important for Kids

Too often these days, parents feel they have no choice but to pack their child's schedules with adult-supervised, adult-driven activities such as organized sports, even in the summer, when kids have the most free time.  But, as a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) makes clear, such activities should not come at the expense of free and unstructured play, which is critical to healthy child development.

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Brooke de Lench
Brooke de Lench

Athletic Success: An Accident of Birth?

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Sat, 01/07/2012 - 20:36. | 0 comments

If your child plays hockey or softball and is celebrating a birthday this month, congratulations, your kid is very lucky!

Why is that, you may ask?

Numerous studies have shown give kids in sports where teams are grouped by age born early in the age-group year (January for hockey and softball, May for baseball, and August for soccer) a number of advantages over their younger teammates.  Should success in sports really depend on the month of an athlete's birthday?
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Youth Sports About Learning Fundamentals and Having Fun

It's unfortunate that so many coaches and parents see each season's won and loss record as the only measure of success, instead of being just a part of having fun and the learning experience. The real journey in youth sports, says youth basketball commissioner and founder of Respect Sports, Frank White, should be that each season's learning builds upon the previous season's fundamentals as athletes strive to achieve enough skills to play at the varsity high school level, or just enough achievement to enjoy playing the game, at even the recreational sports level.
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At-Home Sport Genetic Testing Raise Accuracy, Ethics Concerns

The increasing popularity of at-home sport genetic testing is raising accuracy and ethical concerns among sports medicine professionals.
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Brooke de Lench
Brooke de Lench

Baby Goes Pro!

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Sat, 01/01/2011 - 16:17. | 1 comment

 


Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to talk to Lester Holt on NBC's Today Show about a subject I have been writing and talking about for the past decade - sports training for kids at earlier and earlier ages.  It was fitting to end the year and the last week of MomsTeam's first decade speaking to the nation about the tremendous pressure parents are under to place their infants and toddlers in programs that promote giving young children an "edge" in the mad rush to grab a seat on the runaway bus of youth sports.

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Sports Training for Babies and Toddlers Won't Give Them Athletic Edge

Athletic training videos for babies.  Soccer and T-ball classes for toddlers.  Do they give kids an edge in the increasingly cut-throat world of youth sports or are they just the latest signs of the commercialization of youth sports and that we have become a nation of "helicopter" parents trying to enrich every second of their lives - even as infants - with activities instead of just letting them be kids? MomsTeam.com founder Brooke de Lench weighs in on sports programs for the pre-school set.
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Desire To Excel in Sports Needs To Be Child's, Not Parent's

When is the desire to excel a child's and when is it the parents'?  When does a parent cross the line from supportive to pushy? Sports parents should always remember to think about their motives for encouraging their child to play a certain sport or to attain a specific goal.

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Erin Mirabella
Erin Mirabella

Teaching honesty and integrity vs. winning at all cost.

Submitted by Erin Mirabella on Mon, 10/19/2009 - 18:56. | 0 comments

This is the most recent post from my weekly blog, Sports Lessons For Life. You've heard Robert Fulghum's saying that All I Ever Need To Know About Life, I learned In Kindergarten. I contend that everything you need to succeed in life you can learn through sports. Please visit www.erinmirabella.com for more information.

Try This At Home……

(I know the description of the game below is long, but the actual game is short, so just stay with me. It’s worth it, I promise. Your kids will really get it.)

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Should Sports be 'Dumbed Down?'

Submitted by The Coach Pickles on Tue, 07/14/2009 - 21:24. | 2 comments

The idea of “dumbed down” sports is a scary concept for some. It can be hard for many adults, especially coaches, to accept. The mere idea of doing so can bring their coaching into question and evoke feelings of hesitation, resistance and fear. Many are often quick to admit, “My dad never ‘dumbed down’ sports for me, and I turned out fine.” However, watch a seasoned coach try to teach a young child without “dumbing down” sports, and they fail miserably. Still, purists claim “dumbed down” sports coaching is anything but natural.

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