How can I motivate my child to take part in Spot?

Not keen on sport? How to add more movement to everyday life

Kind zum Sport motivieren | Kind fährt Laufrad

Walk or cycle more often

Turn the daily trip to the nursery and to the shops into a short walk or a bike ride. Your child gets exercise and even on the shortest route there’s plenty of interesting things to see and discover.

Incorporate movement into the daily routine

If you include short bursts of activity as a matter of course, most children don’t even realise they’re doing 'sport'. A family walk after lunch, dancing to favourite music or half an hour of ball games in the garden are experienced by many children simply as time spent together and they enjoy it all the more for that.

Children's gymnastics — a classic

In children’s gym groups they don’t do gymnastics only – usually playing and climbing on various pieces of equipment, with balls, ropes or other accessories take centre stage. These are often open groups that parents and children can drop into as they please.

Encourage movement with child-friendly incentives

A Bobbycar, a tricycle or a balance bike will usually motivate most children to be active. Almost all of these vehicles can easily be taken outside, where 'zipping about' is even more fun. Sports items such as inline skates, a football or a trampoline are also great incentives to try things out. It’s important not to leave little couch potatoes on their own. Get involved and help them learn the new movements, and don’t forget to praise successes accordingly.

Make use of trial sessions

Many sports clubs or schools offer free taster sessions, so children can try a sport once or twice to see whether they enjoy it. For popular sports such as football, dance, swimming or riding there are often groups already for the very young.

Checkliste:

How to encourage your child to take part in sport:

Just play: It doesn’t have to be a team sport or athletics – any form of movement is good for children, even if they play tag in the garden or let off steam on the playground
Consider their interests: Some children love running, others are real water-lovers, and others prefer moving together in play with others – find out what suits your child
Give support: It doesn’t always fit well into your schedule if the child has to be driven to football practice or to the swimming club and collected again. Nevertheless, you should support your child’s sporting interests as far as possible
Take part yourself: When parents set a good example, that is enough motivation for many children. Playing football together, cycling or a long walk in the woods also makes for valuable family time
No lofty goals: Sporting performance should be secondary – what matters is that your child enjoys moving and can tire themself out in line with their abilities
No nagging: Avoid lectures about how healthy sport is or that your child needs to be active. Rough-and-tumble in the garden or incentives such as a new ball or a pair of inline skates usually work more effectively.