{"id":493,"date":"2008-11-25T10:05:33","date_gmt":"2008-11-25T15:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthnews.nchealthplans.com\/?p=493"},"modified":"2010-06-24T10:30:47","modified_gmt":"2010-06-24T15:30:47","slug":"fitness-for-children-add-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/2008\/11\/fitness-for-children-add-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Soccer for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Getting your kids to develop good\u00a0physical fitness habits can never start to0 early.\u00a0 Soccer is a great way to\u00a0keep your kids active and learn about teamwork and sportsmanship that helps build character\u00a0for their lives ahead.\u00a0 Even health insurance companies, like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina<\/a>, recognize the value of a healthy lifestyle and have developed\u00a0incentive programs for physical fitness and wellness activities, such as Blue Points<\/a>.\u00a0 When first starting your children in a soccer program, it would be a good idea for you as a parent to think about a few very important things, such as… What do you want your kids to accomplish?\u00a0 How do you define success?\u00a0 How can I have a positive influence on my child’s experience?\u00a0
\nmore–>We often find ourselves as parents getting caught up in the emotional drama that unfolds on the field.\u00a0 A referee’s call, and opponent’s aggressive style of play, or a disagreement with a coaching decision can stir emotions that we haven’t felt in years.\u00a0 We all want to see our children succeed, but one parent’s definition of success may be different than another’s.\u00a0 Many parents define success in win\/loss records.\u00a0 Others define it by skill improvement.\u00a0 Still others define it as “giving it your best.”\u00a0 In soccer, especially at young ages, it may be best to define it by how much FUN the kids are having.\u00a0 If they are having fun, they will continue to play.\u00a0 If they continue to play, they will have more opportunity to learn more skills, improve, and win more games.\u00a0 If they aren’t having fun, they may not come back next season.
\nAs parents, we play a significant role in molding our children to become good soccer citizens.\u00a0 Below are a few guidelines for parents to observe to ensure the fun-factor is running high and character is at the forefront:
\n1.\u00a0 Understand the rules.\u00a0 Soccer is a contact sport with rules just like football or basketball.\u00a0 Know the rules and you will have a better spectator experience.
\n2.\u00a0 Unless you are willing to don the uniform, leave the rule enforcement to the referees.\u00a0 Verbal disagreement does nothing to change the outcome, but it does put a damper on fun!
\n3.\u00a0 Allow the coaches to “coach.”\u00a0 Don’t give instructions to the kids during games or practices.\u00a0 They have enough pressure to deal with already.
\n4.\u00a0 Support your coach.\u00a0 Many of them don’t have soccer experience..\u00a0 Some may simply have a child in the game just like you and have volunteered their time to give to the club.
\n5.\u00a0 Volunteer your services.\u00a0 Water, ice, and snacks are always needed for half time and after the game.\u00a0
\n6.\u00a0 Cheer at all the matches within the spirit of fair play, regardless of the outcome of the game.\u00a0 Compliment players from both teams who make good plays.
\n7.\u00a0 Allow players to make mistakes – this is when they learn.
\n8.\u00a0 Reward and encourage effort, not just wins\/losses.
\n9.\u00a0 Sit back, relax, and enjoy the game!
\nIt is often hard to remember a list of do’s and don’ts.\u00a0 So if you remember nothing else, remember that parents positively influence children’s memories and experiences in soccer.\u00a0 You can set the tone for a healthy lifestyle by setting a positive example at every match.\u00a0 Healthy kids become healthy adults and with the cost of health insurance today, it pays to have a good health history.\u00a0 Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina health insurance plans<\/a> offers a 15% discount on their Blue Advantage<\/a> and Blue Options HSA plans<\/a> to those who qualify.<\/div>\n

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For more information on North Carolina health insurance<\/a>, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com<\/a> or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our professional authorized agents.\u00a0 Our agency provides coverage for health insurance in North Carolina <\/a>through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina\u00a0(BCBSNC)<\/a>.\u00a0 You may qualify for a 15% healthy lifestyle discount if you are in excellent health, call all our office for\u00a0details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Getting your kids to develop good\u00a0physical fitness habits can never start to0 early.\u00a0 Soccer is a great way to\u00a0keep your kids active and learn about teamwork and sportsmanship that helps build character\u00a0for their lives ahead.\u00a0 Even health insurance companies, like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, recognize the value of a healthy lifestyle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,3],"tags":[23,11,152,137,811],"class_list":["post-493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bcbsnc-insurance","category-fitness","tag-bcbsnc","tag-blue-advantage","tag-blue-cross-blue-shield-of-nc","tag-blue-hsa","tag-fitness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1026,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493\/revisions\/1026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}