In this blog, we will address the question we hear all the time… ‘Is my toddler ready to join a football academy?’.
Having a toddler in the house comes with new developments every day. The surprises are truly endless. There is a constant rhetoric of ‘Who taught them that?’, ‘How do they know that?’, ‘Are they old enough for this yet?’.
At Kixx, we know every toddler develops differently. It is not a one size fits all. There are however some key signs to look for which indicate your toddler is ready to join football academy.
Read on to learn more!
From Cradle To The Pitch
In the early stages of your child’s development, a football is just a toy. It’s not necessarily seen as a key to building relationships, exercise, and even success (even though at Kixx, we certainly know it is).
Research into child’s development shows that toys are more than just an asset in playtime. They serve as a key for learning, unlocking imagination, and understanding the world around them.
For babies as small as 4-6 months, balls are grasped, mouthed, and shaken in a bid to explore texture. At around 8-10 months, all that investigating has brought them to understand the function of a ball, to roll. At this point, simple games such as rolling a ball too and from help to engage their understanding of how objects work.
Now, we are not saying that after a few months of rolling a ball, your little one will become a football prodigy… However, it is common that at around 18 months, throwing and kicking comes into play. With coordination, balance and physical developments under way, basic skills can begin to be introduced.
At Kixx, we offer tailored football lessons to toddlers ranging between ages 18-months to 2-years. These sessions, developed by our Early Years Experts, are centred around engaging playtime. It doesn’t stop there. We offer classes leading all the way to 11 years old.
Signs To Tell ‘Is My Toddler Ready To Join A Football Academy?’
While we at Kixx pride ourselves in delivering programmes compatible with child development, we want to make one thing clear… Nobody knows your child better than you do! Just because the poster says 18 months, that does not mean every toddler this age is ready to enrol at a football academy
Here are some signs that could answer ‘Is my toddler ready to join a football acamedy?’ with a YES:
- They show an interest in touching, playing with and kicking a ball if given the opportunity.
- Your toddler shows an interest in the sport, either engaging with the ball, or watching a game on the TV.
- They have a capability of following instructions, such as ‘kick the ball’, or ‘run across the field’.
- Your toddler wants to copy or join in when they see someone playing football.
- They are demonstrating a basic level of physical coordination.
- They’re starting to develop and master basic motor skills like standing, walking, running and jumping.
- You feel they would enjoy or benefit from spending time around other toddlers.
What Does Joining A Football Academy Offer My Toddler?
If you’re reading this blog and thinking ‘maybe my toddler is ready to join a football academy’, then you need look no further!
Regardless of the “Signs” above, Kixx isn’t about just learning to start playing football. At Kixx , our main priority when engaging toddlers in football lessons is fun! As we have established, playtime is quintessential to child development. We ensure that all toddlers enrolled at our academy can use play to build confidence and motor skills.
With our support and guidance, toddlers can master skills such as balance, coordination and controlled movement. These are essential building blocks for working toward more advanced skills, like dribbling or passing.
We know that leaving your toddler may be a cause for apprehension, which is why we involve grown-ups too! Parent or carers can also take part in the fun, and as your toddler’s confidence grows, you can take a step off the field and cheer on from afar!
Why Should My Toddler Play Football?
In our unbiased opinion, football is the best sport to exist!
More seriously, there are many benefits to football, covering cognitive, physical and emotional development. Let us round those up for you…
Physical Development
Playing football encourages the growth or strong bones and muscles. It also helps build your toddlers immune system. At such an early stage of life, football massively improves balance, flexibility, strength and coordination.
Cognitive Development
Football for toddlers is fantastic for cognitive development as it encourages problem-solving, strategic thinking, and decision-making from an early age. Engaging in football helps toddlers develop spatial awareness, coordination, and motor skills. By navigating our fun environments, toddlers enhance their ability to focus, process information quickly, and adapt to new situations, all of which are crucial for cognitive growth and overall development.
Emotional/Social Development
Joining a football academy requires teamwork and communication. Toddlers can build these skills, express their emotions and build confidence. It also promotes social engagement and natural leadership abilities – though this may come later!
Signing My Toddler Up To Kixx
We hope this blog has answered ‘Is my toddler ready to join a football academy?’ for you! And, we certainly hope the answer is YES!
If you would like to know more about our approach to football coaching for toddlers, we have got you covered. Follow the link to our blog post to learn more.
Our Kixx football academies can have so many great benefits for your toddler – why not find out where our nearest location is to you? If you have any questions, please get in touch.
