The Importance of the Family

Parents of preschoolers,

                In the twenty-five years I have been involved with early childhood motor development and physical activity I have been extremely pleased to know that there are so many professionals who care a great deal for young kids. These individuals see it as their calling and therefore their obligation to enhance the lives of young children through their professional and personal efforts. Some of these individuals I have the privilege of knowing personally while others I know of strictly by their reputation.

                Recognizing this fact I feel it would be beneficial for parents and family members to occasionally hear from some of these experts through this blog. So to kick off this “ask the expert” piece I’ve asked Dr. Robert Brustad to answer a few questions. Bob Brustad is a professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Northern Colorado. He is a leading scholar in the area of psychological factors associated with youth sports. A few years ago he authored an article for the President’s Council on Fitness, Sport & Nutrition Research Digest entitled The Role of Family in Promoting Physical Activity. The article contained lots of important and valuable information for the parents and family members of young children. In our Q & A I asked Bob a series of questions related to this article and his insights into some of the issues associated with the importance of family when it comes to youth sports and physical activity with young children. Here are his answers:

John: You’ve conducted and published a lot of research related to the psychological aspects of children being physically active and participating in youth sports. Since most of your work has been done with elementary-aged or slightly older kids what can parents of preschoolers look forward to in regard to the psychological benefits of sports participation as well as being physically active as their children grow older?

Bob: There are numerous important benefits of sport and physical activity participation that parents can normally expect to occur.  First, physical activity and sport participation affords children the opportunities to explore the world and to develop social relationships with those children and adults around them.  Social development is essential to children’s overall development and there is probably no better setting for social development to occur than through physical activity and physical play. Play is the foundation for much of our physical activity behavior and play behaviors enable kids to develop cognitively, emotionally, socially and physically.  Sport should be considered as just one additional form of play and if we keep these cognitive, emotional, social, and physical developmental outcomes as our primary goals it is easy to see the ways in which physical activity and sport can help kids learn and develop as people. 

John: What are some of the possible negative psychological consequences kids might face if they don’t participate in youth sports or maintain a physically active lifestyle?

Bob: Second, it is important to emphasize the physical activity involvement is not only beneficial but that it is truly necessary.  A lack of physical activity constitutes a deficit or obstacle to children’s development.  Research indicates that children who are less physically active have more academic problems and issues and might be disposed to attention and concentration disruptions and problem behaviors.  Childhood presents a “window of opportunity” for children to be physically active and to gain all of the benefits of their activity but if the “window” is not open they will lose out on many potential benefits.  This is not to say that children’s physical activity needs to be highly structured or fitness oriented.  Children need to play and to play unencumbered by parents and other adults.  Their physical activity should always be oriented toward play if they are to benefit maximally from the experience.

John: What are some of the things that parents need to be aware of that can cause young kids to not be physically active or participate in sports?

Bob: To put it most simply and directly, the most important contributor to kids’ sustained involvement in physical activity is how much they like it. If parents can help kids enjoy physical activity by presenting fun challenges and exploratory possibilities and to enjoy the pure fun of running in the fresh air, kids will continue to maintain their interest although their interests will expand to more complex activities and sports.  If parents do not help children enjoy the activity or if they present it simply as something that kids “should do”, there will not be a positive lifelong effect on children.

John: How important is the family (parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, etc.) in helping kids be physically active and participate in youth sports? What is their role?

Bob: It is safe to say that a strong body of research indicates that the family exerts the most important form of influence upon children’s physical activity and sport involvement.  The family, and particularly parents, can be considered to be the “gatekeepers” to children’s involvement.  If parents and other family members have favorable attitudes and orientations toward physical activity and sport they swing the “gate” open and encourage children to play outside and to pursue physical challenges in parks and public places.  Parents are also responsible for making the decisions to enroll their children in more organized sport and physical activity programs.  Family physical activity role modeling behaviors are also very influential in shaping children’s physical activity orientations.  If parents and other family members willingly engage in physical activity and communicate that it is “fun”, it is much more likely that children will adopt these same orientations.  Conversely, if family members display a lack of enthusiasm for physical activity and/or just communicate that physical activity is a “have to” and not a “want to” then children will begin to perceive negative elements of physical activity.  Finally, intergenerational (grandparents, parents and kids) physical activity is known to be very beneficial to stimulating children’s interest in physical activity.  In this sense, it is much better to think of physical activity as something that can primarily be done within the context of the family.  There have been some strong public and private efforts to promote physical activity within the context of the family and these efforts are paying off and contributing to more physically active kids.  We just need to recognize that it isn’t enough to have “experts” in schools, private facilities and organized sport programs do all of the work.  The most important contributors are family members who encourage and promote physical activity and sport in a fun way and who model positive orientations toward physical activity and sport.

Great answers Bob! Thanks so much for sharing your insights. Parents, if any of you have any questions for Dr. Brustad send them to me at john@preschoolathlete.com and I’ll make sure to pass them on to him. Don’t hesitate to contact me with any other questions or comments you might have about the blog, website, or anything else on your mind. I welcome your feedback. God bless you in the challenging and rewarding experience of raising a young child.

John