Children can test our patience, but when you are considering your child’s fitness, patience is mandatory. As adults we often want change to happen sooner rather than later. We want it in an hour, in a minute, or in a second. Fitness for your child happens at different rates and you need to be prepared for it. All kids progress at different speeds so the best way to measure change is in change itself. Be thrilled when they learn a new skill or break a time barrier. With patience and persistence you will see improvements in your child. It may be that moment they finally hit a pitched ball with a bat, it could be when they learn to ride their bike, or maybe when they make the school team.
Occasionally change can be seen in a short period of time. When kids are young, say in their first few years of life, or when they try something for the first time you can see rapid change. You may even see improvement within 30 minutes of doing an activity. Enjoy these successes and be 100% positive without a single corrective word. When you do this they can get hooked on being active because they have accomplished something. They have pride in what they have done. They just learned that they can do new things when they try. And by not saying a corrective word they did it with no negativity.
Most changes in fitness are slower. Some of the improvement comes naturally as the child’s body matures and becomes stronger. There is no rushing this type of change. You cannot expect a four year old to shoot on a regulation 10 foot basketball goal, but as they get bigger and stronger it will happen. Most changes are built on multiple days of activity and practice. Take swimming as an example. For most kids it takes a few summers to learn how to swim in such a way as to just stay afloat. It takes even more years to become proficient in the freestyle stroke and even longer to learn some of the other strokes. So with patience and positivity your child can go from a non-swimming toddler to a child who is proficient at several strokes.
As you can tell from the swimming analogy the long haul pays off in your child learning new skills over time. Once they learn these skills they will have them for life. It is a process called muscle memory and it is a key to fitness. But there are so many more long term benefits from training your child to be fit. The main point you can teach your child is that fitness can be fun and can bring them joy in life. By being patient your child will have a positive outlook on movement, exercise, and sport. This positive outlook is what grows over time and can lead to an adult who enjoys fitness and has found movement to be a benefit to their happiness.
Your patience is an 18 year investment. You are investing in your child’s health and well being. You may see the dividends when they are young. This comes in the form of play, enjoyment and a healthy body composition, but the true reward is an adult who is healthy and well adjusted. In the end your patience becomes a gift that lasts a lifetime.
