It is time to get kids signed up for Spring sports again. For example, registration for Rockwall YMCA Spring Soccer has already started and continues through January 31st.

If your kids have been playing soccer, baseball, or softball, etc., that may simply mean resigning them to a team that they have already been playing on.

For kids who haven't been very active in the past, Spring sports sign-ups provides an opportunity to find a youth sport or activity to help them get much more physically active. Remember that most experts recommend that kids should be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day on most days of the week.

Spring Sports Sign-ups

Local organizations that provide spring sporting activities include:

• Rockwall YMCA - soccer for kids 4 and older (small fry soccer 3 and older)
• Rockwall Parks & Rec Dept - karate, running (train for a 5K), little kickers soccer, little sluggers t-ball
• Rowlett Parks & Rec Dept - 
• Rowlett Baseball Association - t-ball and youth baseball
• Rockwall Baseball Association - t-ball and youth baseball
• Rowlett Youth Soccer Association 
• Rowlett Tennis Association
• Rockwall Indoor Sports Expo (RISE) - basketball, indoor soccer
• Lake Pointe Church Sports - soccer, t-ball, youth baseball, softball, golf
  

As you can see, there are a lot of different places to play each sport. Unfortunately, it has gotten to the point where that simply means that leagues are spread pretty thin and you end up playing the same teams over and over, no matter where you play. It would be nice if there were more coordination between the different organizations, so that instead of duplicating services, they could each target a more specific age. For example, the YMCA could do more small-fry sports and Lake Pointe could do more teen intramural sports.

If your child isn't interested in team sports, there are always places to join more individual type sports too, including karate, wrestling, gymnastics, tennis, golf, dance, swimming, etc., if you think your child would do better in that environment.

Choosing a Team and Sport

Since most kids aren't active enough, which is one of the big things that is contributing to our current childhood obesity epidemic, finding a way to get them more active on a regular basis is important. Even as people advocate more active free play, organized sports are a great way to keep your kids active.

Finding the right sport, team, and coach is important though. Far too many kids loose interest in sports because they get burned out, develop poor self-esteem because they aren't as good as the other kids on the team, or simply have a poor fit with the coach, team, or sport.

Some things to keep in mind to help your child have a good experience playing sports:

• the goal of each season should be for your child to learn to enjoy playing sports and exercise, and not simply getting goals, home runs, or winning the division.
• encourage your kids to play a lot of different sports, instead of specializing in one sport at an early age.
• don't be surprised if you have to kids a little nudge to get started joining a team for the first time. To make it easier, try to join with a friend, or choose an individual type sport first.
• if your child seems a little behind in general skills needed to play sports and isn't as coordinated as the other kids, consider taking a few sports skills development classes to help get on track.
• don't be afraid to reevaluate if you are on the right team each season, keeping in the mind that you don't necessarily want to have the best or worst kid on the team. If your child isn't keeping up with the other kids, then he might do better on a less competitive team. On the other hand, if your child is clearly one of the best kids on the team, then she might develop her skills even better in a more competitive environment.
• play and practice with your child in between games and practice. It is a great way to spend time with your kids, keep them active, and help them learn to enjoy being physically active.
• be a good sport's parent - don't coach from the sidelines, don't criticize your child when he is playing, and offer to help out on the team.
• consider starting your own team, enlisting your child's friends from school and daycare, and kids of your own friends, and coaching them yourself.

And remember that competition isn't a bad word. In addition to teaching kids how to be good winners and avoid being poor losers, it can help them to reach their full potential at a sport. It is just finding the balance between competition and your child's age and developmental stage that is important.