Category: Blog

Adopting Key Social Skills through Sport

Each year, thousands of young Canadian’s travel to local fields, community centers, and clubs, dedicating their evenings and weekends to their favourite sport. Increasingly, children are beginning these organized sport programs before they enter grade-school; meaning sport practices are among the first structured learning environments that many preschool-aged children engage in. To successfully navigate these …

Navigating Success and Failure in Sport

One of the most challenging aspects of children’s sport participation is navigating the complexities of winning and losing, or – experiencing success versus failure.  When met with this distinction for the first time, children measure their performance against a fellow athlete or peer, and appraise their success or failure – often while trying a new …

Life and Social Skill Development at Sportball

There is growing recognition that sport programs are important contexts for developing the whole person. In other words, they are not only considered pastimes for children and youth to be physically active and learn how to play sports within, they are relied-upon as settings that teach important life and social skills. Some of the supplemental …

The Importance of Childhood Free-Play

Many parents reflect fondly of their childhood, recalling days and nights spent roaming their neighborhoods and parks, or playing pick-up sports on the street. This type of activity falls within the category of ‘free-play’ – play that is self-directed, unstructured, and undertaken for its own sake. These same parents may acknowledge, however, that this type …

Helping Children Be More Physically Active

With the summer drawing to a close and a new school year upon us, for many families means the return to hectic scheduling. In the rush of chauffeuring children to and from school, childcare, extracurricular activities, and even sport programming- we often forget about a basic necessity – getting outside and being physically active! Physical …

Sportball and Children with Congenital Heart Disease

There are numerous benefits to participating in physical activity and sport for children at all age and ability levels. However, children with additional needs (i.e., physical, intellectual, or developmental) are often less physically active than their typically developing peers, due in part to a lack of programming, or knowledge of programing that is accessible to …

Why Sportball Soccer is the Best Start for your Child!

Soccer has grown in popularity to become one of the most widely played and followed sports in Canada, and around the world. Many sports require expensive registration fees, specialized equipment, and training to take-up. However, recreational soccer is often a desirable first choice for families with young children because it is accessible, can be practiced …

How Sportball T-Ball Sets Your Child Up For Success

Let’s be honest: T-ball’s reputation is mixed. Sometimes kids find games to be slow or drawn-out, based on first-hand experiences of waiting idly in the outfield and having no interaction with the ball. This often happens when children play on full-size baseball diamonds before they are able to hit off a tee, and before they …

Coach Education and Certification at Sportball

At Sportball we ensure that our coaches are passionate, professional, and certified. Our coaches not only have an array of sport backgrounds and value being physical active; they also love working with children. When coaches join the Sportball team, they begin an in-depth coach education and certification program that promotes consistent standards and practices across …

Five ways to help your child during a Parent-Participation

1) Every child develops according to his/her own rhythm Every child attends the program with his/her unique physical and social ability. At this stage of development, a few months makes the world of difference. Guide your child according to their abilities and not according to those of the future Michael Jordan or that of a …