Sports are an integral part of childhood, helping kids get exercise, learn important things like patience, hard work, and teamwork, and letting them have some fun. But sports can also be dangerous, and injuries do happen with frequency. You can’t prevent your kid from playing sports, that would be cruel and detrimental, but you can help them avoid injuries when playing sports by preparing them properly. With a little bit of understanding, you can make your kid as safe as possible when playing their sport of choice. Here is how you can help you child avoid sports injuries.
Play by the Rules
The first step that you can take to keep your kids safe from sports injuries is to make sure that they and the kids they are playing with are playing by the rules. All sports have rules, and many of the rules are there for the explicit purpose of keeping everyone safe. For instance, illegal blocks or hits in football, flagrant fouls in basketball, or yellow and red cards in soccer. Make sure that your children are familiar with the rules, and that they are playing in a league that stresses the importance of playing fairly and learning the game.
Wear a Mouthguard
The next thing that you can do to keep your kids safe from sports injuries is to have them wear a mouthguard. A mouthguard is a required piece of safety equipment for almost all youth sports leagues, yet many children neglect to wear them properly, or have them at all. Mouthguards are essential in high speed, high impact sports, which can cause all sorts of oral injuries. Wearing a mouthguard can prevent chipped or cracked teeth. It can also help keep your child from biting their cheek or tongue. Make sure that your children wear their mouthguards.
Warm-Ups
The final thing that you can do to help your kids avoid sports injuries is to encourage them to warm-up before every practice and game. Warming up your body and your muscles is essential for getting your muscles loose and your blood flowing, which can help your body prepare for exercise. Without warmups, your muscles aren’t ready for strenuous use, and are more susceptible to injuries. Have your kids participate in stretching and cardiovascular warm ups to ensure that their bodies are ready for sports.
Playing sports is important for the proper development of your children. But injuries can always happen when sports are being played. Use these three methods to ensure that your child can avoid sports injuries as best as possible.
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