Inspirational Moment - One Legged Child Baseball Player

Every so often in life there is an event, person, or even a child that inspires you and give you a kick in the backside! The story of Adam Bender really challenges the assumptions of what is possible. A cancer survivor, his left leg was amputated at age one. However, that did not stop him from loving sports and competing as he grew.

Every time Adam plays it helps inspire and challenge our assumptions as to what is really possible. The next time you feel there is something you can't do, I hope you will think of this video, I know I will. Here it is:

Tags: Adam Bender, child baseball player, child sports, inspirational, one legged child playing baseball, video

Filed under Sports by More4kids

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Kids and Sports: Eight Strategies to Teach Kids How to Handle Disappointment and Lose like a Winner

Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.

www.freeingyourchild.com

It’s after April 15, the taxes are in the mail, and now it’s time to tackle the real challenge of spring — little league. Well, not exactly, but all over the country, kids of all ages are gearing up for the new season of sports from little tikes, to varsity players. Parents are approaching this rite of childhood with a combination of excitement and dread as they ponder the impending vicissitudes: the thrill of success, and the agony of defeat—not the euphemism, the real deal— registering in every fiber of their child’s being and right there for everyone to see.

Kids may start out with the best intentions and grip on their emotions picture— the Norman Rockwell crack of the bat, roar of the crowds— but with the first error (or perceived error) things degenerate quickly and it’s Jackson Pollock on a bad day. There’s the pre-game freak out, the post-game melt down, the throwing down of the glove, bat, or whatever the case may be, followed by the “I hate everything, everything stinks, I quit” self-recrimination rant that occurs once the doors auto-shut on the mini-van.

Why is it that some kids can’t lose? Is it the parents, über focused on getting them on a Division One team in college, whose pressure makes it impossible for kids to accept anything else but beyond the best? While there is no doubt that those success-crazed parents gone wild don’t help and need to be benched themselves, usually they only broadcast in stereo the message going through a child’s own mind: winning is everything; losing is the end of the world as we know it.

It’s also clear that our culture is out of whack, witness the 5:00 am sports practices, travel tournaments for 2^nd graders, and cut-throat competition for all. While rectifying these variables will certainly improve the outcome, it will not eliminate the problem of kids who fall apart in the face of defeat. Especially since many of these kids fall apart even with just the anticipation of defeat. So losing isn’t the real disaster for these kids, their relationship to losing, is the disaster.

Tags: children, dealing with disappointment, kids and sports

Filed under Activities, Parenting, Sports by More4kids

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Developing Your Childs Talents and Interests

proud and supportive mother Studies show that when kids have interests outside of school and when they are allowed to develop their talents, they are much less likely to have academic problems, social problems and get in trouble. The question is how do you help to identify those talents and interests. What's more, how do you develop those talents and interests? There are some things to keep in mind when you are trying to develop talents and interests in your child, try these tips.

Keep an Open Mind

When it comes to interests, there is a whole, wide, wonderful world to investigate. Perhaps you have a child who love to look at the night sky. Try introducing them to astronomy. If your child seems to have a talent for art, try encouraging them to draw. Look for things that they seem to love and things they are good at, but keep an open mind. Be prepared to accept talents and interests that may not be conventional, then educate yourself on various avenues of exploration.

Filed under Activities, Parenting, Sports by More4kids

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Is Yoga Good For Kids?

Yoga for kids? Absolutely! The slow, flowing motions not only builds flexibility but takes a lot of concentation and can help slow a young mind down. It can help you child acheive balance in their young lives. Almost every children experiences stress with homework; pressure to compete with other children as well as non-stop after-school activities and over scheduling. All this can make for a very hectic lifestyle. Kids today, like their parents, are turning to yoga for both health and relaxation. Yoga for kids is a means of helping them to develop better body awareness, controlling themselves, and flexibility as well as coordination. Kids may be able to carry the yoga skills they learn beyond class and into their normal everyday routines. READ More on Is Yoga Good For Kids?

Filed under Child Safety, Health, Sports by More4kids Inc.

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Getting Your Child Started In Sports

by Stacey Schifferdecker

Once upon a time, in a backyard just down the street, children spent their afternoons and Saturdays playing baseball or kickball with a rock for third base and imaginary runners filling out too-small teams. Now, children can join organized sports teams as young as age 4 and take baby ball lessons even earlier. While such activities can give children a head start on lifelong fitness, parents need to think carefully about what age to enroll their children in sports and what sport to choose.

Filed under Activities, Health, Sports by More4kids

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