Roni from Tel Aviv is a mother of two children, a son and a daughter.
They are very different from each other, and while the daughter (the younger of the two) is sociable and full of self-confidence, the eldest is quieter and more introverted.
This is not a bad thing at all, every child is a world in its entirety and the difference is blessed, but she notices that something is wrong with her son.
After the kindergarten teacher approached her when he went up to City Hall at the age of 3, and told her that he was ashamed to approach staff and friends and that he seemed developmentally a little behind everyone else - she decided to take the matter seriously.
Roni and her husband Ido took their son to physical therapy and a dedicated sports club.
They saw that as the child progresses motorically and participates in the sports class - so does his confidence.
He opens up, approaches the team and makes friendships for himself.
Roni and Ido's story touches on a point that connects sports with self-confidence among children, and the question of whether physical fitness and sports can make children and youth build mental strength.
Ofir Ilan, personal trainer for teens and director of samurai workshops, says that "every child is special, and it is necessary to direct him to areas where he is strong. This way he will experience success and build himself a sense of ability. In general, it can be said that "This is how his self-confidence increases, even if the areas in which he is good are not related to sports. The children around him will recognize its benefits and uniqueness, and this will clearly contribute to that child's mental resilience."
According to the choice of the children.
The photographers have nothing to do with the article, Photo: Moshe Shai
The role of parents
Amit Cohen, an early childhood football and sports coach, is less concerned with the technique of the game, and deals more with improving motor skills, as well as with regard to the social issue.
"Children receive positive reinforcements from their environment from a very young age, whether from the parents or the caregiver and kindergarten teacher. It can range from sticking a sticker at a young age to more complex activities like ball catching, and these reinforcements build confidence among children. I see children experiencing motor success, small "As a child, the child can tell his friends how successful he is, and that improves social skills."
Cohen had previously planned to conduct coordination training for children to improve confidence.
"The reason is that I have seen how coordination training helps children develop self-confidence. By improving coordination they experience small successes and gain self-confidence, which affects them in other aspects as well."
Asked how parents can contribute to raising children's self-confidence in the world of sports, Cohen replies that "parents should encourage children to keep trying until they succeed, by positive reinforcements. Children may not succeed at first, which is fine, but once they achieve success, it Can open up an amazing world for them. It is also very important to get to training and look, give full attention to the child, who will feel seen, because then success takes on a very big meaning. Children want to see them, whether they have difficulty or not. And the big ones, it makes sense. "
Cohen also emphasizes that "it is important to do this at home as well. Pay attention to everything that expresses the child's success, whether it is drawing or throwing a ball to the basket or dancing."
Which class to choose?
Sometimes, the sports club that is in the hours system becomes a nightmare for some children.
Cohen explains: "There are cases where children try to evade the class of sports in the classroom because they are not good at it, and here the parents have to keep their hands on the pulse."
Popular classes, Photo: Matans Leo Beck Haifa - Community Center Company
Cohen adds that "if there is a child whose coordination is not good and you do not work with him at a young age, when he sees all his friends succeed in performing a certain action and he does not - immediately his self-confidence will be harmed. "The children are not good at kicking, but in other things like spider walking they are good - let these children demonstrate, and then they will gain confidence. In addition, the parents can choose the parts that the children did succeed in and strengthen them."
There are popular classes that many of the children in the class attend, but others do not find themselves, which can greatly affect confidence.
This begs the question of how children can find the sport they are good at.
Dana Krasnov, a physical education teacher and senior fitness trainer at Next Fit Junior, answers that "the most important thing is to experiment and go to as many classes and types of training as possible. Examine which training makes children excited and expectant. When children enjoy training, the coach and the environment, they will automatically make efforts "Many more will persevere, gain success, and thus be good at the type of training they have chosen."
"There are cases where the parents' help can adversely affect the children, and this happens when the parents do not know how to separate their desires from the best interests of the child," says Ilan.
"For example, there are parents who really want their children to excel in football and send them to the class 4-5 times a week. The children may not like the class, and may not be good at it either, but they do not want to disappoint the parents, which leads to frustration."
He adds that "the parent's role is mainly not to destroy. He should try to expose the children to a variety of sports without judgment, and let them choose for themselves. It is not advisable for the parent to push only a particular sport, "A father or mother wants to. Remember that there is value in being independent, which of course leads to a significant increase in the child's self-confidence and social belonging, which is so important at a young age."
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