Soccer for Preschoolers

I never played any team sport as a child. I lived overseas for the bulk of my childhood, and the combination of games with rules I didn't understand and the language barrier just kept me from joining in on team games. And when I returned to the States, it was assumed that I knew how to play volleyball, football, and my most dreaded, softball. I actually failed 9th grade PE because I refused to dress out for any of these team sports.

But not my child, no! She is to be introduced gently, kindly, with the most support possible to team sports of all types. And, even if I wasn't invested in her becoming familiar with the American experience of a team sport, her dad sure was. His childhood was the opposite of mine. He played sports - all of them - throughout his childhood. Word on the street is that his dad convinced a T-ball team to let him play 6 months before he was eligible to. From then on, he played football, soccer, golf, softball, baseball, and basketball until his teens.

So it was agreed. Our daughter would get the opportunity to play soccer through a local youth organization. Her first game was this Saturday.

I learned that I become a paranoid freak on a sports field. I was worrying that she was playing to rough, not enough, didn't understand the game, was getting distracted by butterflies. Finally, my sweet husband asked me what was the matter with me. And I realized I was (once again) projecting my own fears onto her. After that moment, it was hilarious.

She is on the yellow team. Her "opponents" were lavender. At any given point there were between 2 and 12 children on the field. Sometimes they diligently chased the ball from one end of the field to another. At one point all of the lavender team and half of the yellow team were inside the yellow goal. At another point I watched my daughter make a new friend, and the two of them ran around the field, holding hands. At no point were they ever near the ball.

So whats the benefit? Well all of the kids were running, outside, and trying to learn something new. The first hints of sportsmanship were introduced in terms they could understand (taking turns, not pushing). They all got to wear the same color t-shirt and have a granola bar & juice box at halftime. And my daughter learned how to make new friends and have fun doing it. Will this experience - and those to follow - help her become a confident, athletic, considerate citizen? I don't know. I guess we'll find out.

Learn more about this author, Beth Russo.
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