In last month’s column I tried to make the point that parents should work to ensure that their children establish physical literacy as they develop. Physical literacy is the accumulation of basic physical skills that we acquire as we grow. Throwing, running, and jumping are basic skills along with more complex skills like agility, strength, and gamesmanship. Achieving these skills removes limitations and gives one confidence to learn new things. Children should go through the stages of development, learning more and more skills plus the knowledge and inclination to pursue the joy of movement and the social benefit of play. My position is that we cannot rely exclusively on schools to do this; parental involvement is necessary.
Developing physical skills is not that complicated. When children are physically challenged they adapt; they change, they get better. Adaptation is specific to the challenge. If the task requires strength, one gets stronger; if the challenge requires agility, we become more agile, and if speed is required, we get faster. All activities involve different adaptations. For this reason, children should be faced with a variety of challenges. For example, if children only swim, they will not learn to run and jump; soccer players do not throw and gymnasts do not learn ball skills. Limiting children to a single activity early in life robs them of physical development.
Developing physical literacy starts early. Young children play naturally and learn without coaching. During the first six years of life children should be physically active repeatedly throughout the day. From age 6-9 games should focus on speed, not endurance. I am not a proponent of children jogging with their parents. If children play on organized teams, the sports should be varied and not the same one all year. This is not a time for sport specialization. Girls begin their growth spurt around 10 or a bit after; boys follow around 12. This is a good time to begin strength training under supervision. But during growth children tend to be a bit clumsy and more injury prone. This is a great time for good coaching.
The question of specialization frequently arises when children tend to favor one sport. Some specialization can start during this time, but all year training in one sport is not recommended until around age 14-15. Delay specialization to avoid injury as well as burnout. Don’t be fooled by coaches and others who claim that the only way to achieve excellence is early specialization.
Many children will naturally want to compete in sport, but about half of children are not interested in teams or competitive sports. Physical literacy is still important, but we need to look beyond school sports. And let’s face it, you’re not going to participate in school sports your entire life. Cycling, skiing, skateboarding, hiking, fishing, martial arts, kayaking, and many other activities can attract children. Parents need to facilitate this by providing transportation and equipment. Yes, it takes time and energy but that’s what parents do.
Whether you play a sport or not I am a strong believer in introducing two activities early and often: throwing and swimming. Throwing introduces the kinetic chain of movement, the synchronous transfer of energy from the ground to the hand. Girls can throw as well as boys if given the opportunity. Children develop this naturally if allowed. Don’t use targets; focus on velocity. Throw rocks in a lake. Don’t give a lot of instruction, just let it happen.
My parents couldn’t swim and it affected their entire lives. Put your children in the water and forget learning the classic swim strokes. Safety comes with comfort in the water so focus on underwater play. Children swim underwater easily. Activities that involve one’s face in the water are important. Forget floating on your back; float on your stomach. Watch your child jump in the water; if they are holding their nose, they are not safe. If they can’t open their eyes underwater, they are not ready.
Raising physically active children today is a significant challenge but we can’t give up. Some three-year-olds have phones and 40% of two-year-olds have their own tablets. Most children own a smartphone by 11 years. No physical skills will be learned on a phone. The lessons of the playground are not found on a tablet. Joy and camaraderie, and the stress and strain of intense play, are not online.
Jim Johnson is a retired professor of exercise and sport science after teaching 52 years at Smith College and Washington University in St. Louis. He comments about sport, exercise, and sports medicine. He can be reached at jjohnson@smith.edu.