In this blog, we’re exploring the 3 signs your infant is ready to join football classes!
Timing is crucial; starting too early before they’re ready, might discourage your child from playing the game and cause them to miss out on enjoyable experiences and opportunities to make new friends.
3 Signs Your Infant Is Ready To Join Football Classes
1. They Like Watching Or Playing Football With You
An interest in football, however slight, will certainly increase the likelihood of your child enjoying the fun of a Kixx course of classes. You’ll be able to tell if your child is a football fan or not pretty early on in their development, although their interest can grow over time.
As a general rule of thumb, if your child willingly joins in kickabouts with you in the park or your back garden and enjoys booting a ball in between the jumpers for goalposts or over the fence into the neighbour’s garden, chances are they are ready to give football classes a try.
An infant who enjoys sitting on the sofa with you on Sunday afternoons to watch a live game or cheekily asks to stay up late for Match of the Day might be a great candidate for football lessons. Similarly, a child who’s content watching an older sibling play from the sidelines at the park or school field could show potential interest in the sport.
However, it’s important not to push a child into football lessons if they aren’t genuinely interested in the game. Commitment and motivation are essential—they’ll need to show up each week and work on improving their skills. Whilst lessons can be fun for children of all abilities, as they grow, they’ll face the challenges of matches, including the excitement of scoring a goal, the disappointment of losing the ball to an opponent, and the ups and downs of winning and losing as a team.
2. They Can Stand, Walk, Run And Jump
Although it can sometimes seem like professional adult players spend a lot of time rolling around on the grass looking for free kicks and penalties, the ability to move about is, of course, essential to success and enjoyment on a football field.
A toddler who hasn’t yet mastered basic movements isn’t going to be ready for football classes. Usually, a child will need to be at least 18 months old to know how to run and jump – a sure sign that they are developing the motor skills and physical coordination needed for football classes.
At this stage, it doesn’t matter how fast a child can run, how high they can jump, or how well they can control the ball. Those are skills our coaches are here to help them refine. Training sessions will also help them build foundational physical abilities like balance and coordination, setting them up for success both on and off the pitch. Additionally, the exercise they’ll get will support the development of strong muscles, bones, and overall physical health—benefits that extend far beyond the game of football.
3. They Understand Basic Instructions
To take part in a football class, your budding striker, attacking midfielder or flying wingback will need to know and understand basic words and phrases so they can communicate with coaches and teammates. Words such as ‘Run’, ‘Pass’, ‘Shoot’ and ‘Tackle’ will be commonly used during sessions, so the more your infant understands the better.
They’ll also need a basic grasp of what playing football is all about. That means knowing that the big round thing is for kicking into a goal or passing to a teammate, not for picking up and running around with (if they naturally do this, maybe you have a budding goalkeeper or rugby player on your hands!)
It will also help if they can communicate clearly with other children taking football classes too, as this is important for the teamwork skills they’ll develop during sessions.
Is Your Infant Ready To Join Football Classes? Other Things To Consider
The Time Has To Be Right For You Too
Whether your child is nursery or school age, it’s understandable that you’ll want reassurance that your child has the confidence to make the most of football classes. At first, you’ll likely be a little apprehensive about the idea of your young one playing with children that they don’t know, but we’re here to help you overcome any reservations you may have.
Our professional team will do all we can to set your mind at rest, giving you the option to join in the fun when your child first starts. Once they’ve settled in, found their feet and grown their confidence, you can leave it to the Kixx coaches and watch your child’s skills develop from the sidelines.
Every Child Is Different
No set age dictates when an infant is ready for football lessons, as all children develop at different paces. Here at Kixx, we’ve found that the children who benefit most from our sessions are at least 18 months old. But we have children as old as 10 joining us for the first time too. For any child who’s new to football classes, the emphasis here at Kixx is on fun and engaging playtime.
Signs Your Infant Is Ready To Join Football Classes At Kixx
Confident with the 3 signs your child is ready to join football classes? We’d love for you to join #TeamOrange here at Kixx.
We offer tailored football classes to children between 18 months and 10 years old, with session content developed by our early years experts. You can find an academy near you on our website.
If you would like more information on what we offer here at Kixx, please reach out to us today. We looking forward to hearing from you and welcoming you to our Kixx family!
