5 efficient pranks in sports initiation

That practicing a sport is fundamental for physical and emotional health, nobody disputes that. But childhood is not the right time to face strict rules and exhausting training. From the age of 3, the child can and should start to develop skills such as motor coordination, speed, agility, balance, strength and flexibility – all of which will be important for the future practice of different sports. But you should do all this literally while playing, warns Deborah Palma, coordinator of the Physical Education course at Universidade Anhembi Morumbi, in São Paulo. “Instead of starting with the game, a complex activity that involves rules, winners, losers and predetermined time, sports initiation should start with playing, which has a spontaneous nature, simpler rules and free time”, she explains. Below, Deborah highlights five simple activities that every child loves – and shows how they go far beyond just having fun.

Burned

“This classic, which was already a success in my grandmother’s time, is an excellent preparation for handball. By developing various motor skills such as agility, coordination and speed, it helps prepare the child for future throws.”

fly flag

“As the objective of each team is to cross the enemy camp and steal the opponent’s flag, the children run a lot, go back and forth several times. This helps develop agility, speed and endurance, fundamental skills for any sport.”

Exchange

“It is a fun activity, which exercises motor skills a lot and, therefore, is used as a pre-sport for volleyball. The net that divides the field is fixed at a much lower height, so that children can pass the ball over it, without the need to make serves or headlines.”

chain catch

“It starts out like a normal tag, but each child who is caught needs to hold hands with the tagger, thus forming a long chain. This is an excellent way to exercise teamwork, because the group needs to communicate quickly for the movement to work. If one child wants to go one way and another wants to go the other way, the chain breaks.”

lord of lines

“Before the game starts, you need to draw several lines on the floor, forming interconnected paths. Children must run on this track; if they lose their balance or are caught by the catcher, they turn to stone and stop in place, blocking the way. Whoever comes behind has to go back and find another path, which requires quick thinking and close attention to the catcher’s movements.”