by Rebecca Florido

Created on: November 06, 2009   Last Updated: November 07, 2009

It is not a surprise to most parents now days that their young boys are uninterested in sports. With new technology on the rise children find video games, computers, and many other ways to express themselves. However, if you want your son to be interested in sports the best way to go about it is to talk to him. Let him know that you would like to see him in an active sport. You may be surprised to find out that he is interested but the subject never came up for him to consider his feelings on the matter.

If he does tell you that he wants nothing to do with sports then try exposing him to kids his age that enjoy a particular sport. I remember when I was eleven years old and I had no interest in soccer, my cousin played on a county team and I had to go watch her soccer games. When I saw people cheering for her and I watched her do a slide tackle, I was like "YES!, I'm going to do that," I turned to my father and said "I want to PLAY!". Next thing I knew I was playing on the same team as my cousin and was handing out the slide tackles left and right. All it took was uncovering the game and someone I knew getting cheers from family to get me interested.

Sometimes a child may feel inadequate and may think that they would not be good at a sport. This can be very sensitive and embarrassing to a child and the action to portray is caring, kind words. Explain to them that it is about fun and not who wins, let them know that they are capable of being just as good as a pro with practice. Take them to a high school game let them see and hear the cheering from their peers and while they are there explain to them that all those cheers could be theirs if they played and practiced. Make the experience fun for them and never pressure a child into anything because it can cause the opposite effect that you are looking for.

Also, take a look at your child's weight, does it look as if he may have trouble keeping up with the other children? If he has a weight problem talk with him about putting him on a strict diet and explain to him that if he abides by it that he will be able to run just as well as the other kids. Don't make him feel as if his weight is a complete barrier but do let him know that it can be managed. If he still is not taking a liking to a sport try to find something that he is interested in. There are many different ways for a child to express themselves and this is what you should be looking for. I would not worry to much about it as long as he is finding an outlet for is likes and dislikes.

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