Should My Middle Schooler Do a Sport?

From middle school on, sports are a big part of life for many students. Offering opportunities for physical activity, skill building, and friendship—not to mention important life lessons—sports can be an invaluable component of a child's educational experience.

Does this mean that every student should participate in a sport? Not necessarily. The first thing to determine is the child's level of interest. By middle school, most kids will have tried out at least one sport, and often more than one. Usually such kids know whether or not they want to continue. Assuming the child wants to, is keeping up with school work, and has a schedule compatible with the practices and games, there's no reason not to.

The same holds true for beginning a new sport—if it sounds like fun and fits in well with the child's (and family's) schedule, much can be gained by trying out a new physical activity.

But what if a student either doesn't want to continue with a familiar sport or try something new? First, parents should make an effort to find out why. Maybe there are already enough outside activities in the child's schedule, or perhaps things didn't go as well on last year's team as they could have. If the reasons for not wanting to do a sport seem like ones that, with a little discussion, could be resolved, talking things over with your child and encouraging him or her to participate may be a good strategy.

If, however, the child has more serious objections to doing a sport, parents should consider them carefully. By middle school, kids are beginning to have more of a sense of who they are and of their likes and dislikes. Even if a child shows great natural ability at a certain sport, without a desire to do it, there is little point in pursuing it further.

Perhaps the child simply needs a break from organized sports for a while. Revisiting the issue a few months down the line, or even the following school year, may be the best course for parents. Focus on gently encouraging, rather than arbitrarily dictating, sports participation. Be on the lookout, too, for other, nonsporting activities your middle schooler may enjoy, such as drama or chess.

Finally, keep in mind that the ultimate goal of middle school sports shouldn't be to groom future athletes. Rather, it should be to foster all the many positive traits and experiences that participation in sports lends itself to so naturally—ones that can also develop and flourish through the pursuit of other activities and interests.