Children need to be encouraged to try lots of different types of physical activities and sports so that they can learn what they like and what they don’t like, as well as what they’re good at. Like many other activities that children try, they’re more likely to remain interested in the ones that they experience success with and truly enjoy.

From a very early age, children need to be allowed to engage in lots of unstructured physical activity, such as crawling and then walking and finally running and chasing and climbing. By the time they’re approaching five years of age, many children also become interested in “helping” their parents complete household tasks such as washing the car or cleaning up in the kitchen or gardening. Participating in these activities isn’t only a matter of helping their families complete household chores, it’s also a great way to encourage children to engage in physical activity. The larger point here is that there are many ways to encourage children to get away from television and computer screens and be active in the environments that surround them on a daily basis.

Matching what your child’s interests and what your child likes to do with opportunities for physical play will help him or her develop a healthy body and a healthy mind. Try introducing games and skills, especially to younger children, slowly and gently, so that they can learn what they need to without getting hurt or frustrated. This will also help them gain enough confidence in their physical abilities to allow them to try new activities.