This is a follow-up article on Gor Gor participating in sports day.
Sometimes parents ask me “Can young children participate in sports?”
Yes, young children can participate in sports, as long as you have taken certain precautions. Young children are NOT small adults, thus you must know some areas which are unique to them:
1. Lack of sense of danger. Children may not be able to appreciate potential danger area when playing games. For example, if you let your child play in a field, please take note of drains and slopes at the border of the field. If the ball rolls to the drain, you must tell your children NOT to go near to the end of the field as these are dangerous area.
2. Hydrate your child. The weather in our region is very hot. Children tends to be dehydrated quicker than adults due to their small body size and reserves. When your child is playing games, make sure he has regular water breaks in between.
3. They are still growing, especially their bones. Thus, you must not let children play with weights like bar bell as these may compress the growth plate and cause them to be stunted. Games which involve jumping and running are fine.
Do not pressure your child too much during the games. Let him or her play at their own pace. They will stop when they are tired and they will continue again when they have enough rest. They will enjoy more and have a wonderful childhood.
