This post is sponsored by CareNow and SheKnows Media.
Fall sports are officially in full swing. Not just on the weekends on TV, but at parks and rec centers all over, youth sports are starting their seasons! This year, the boys are taking some time off from martial arts and are trying something new. Zac is doing soccer at his preschool and he’s thrilled!
Before we could feel ready for the school year, there were some things we needed to do to get my boys ready for the fall season. If you have a kid just starting sports for the first time, or if it’s been awhile since they played a sport, here are some things you should do before they hit the field {or rink or court or… you get the picture!}:
1. Get a sports physical. Some programs require this, but not all of them do. However, I think it’s a great step to take whether your program requires it or not. Getting a sports physical can alert you to any problems you may not know your child has before they get hurt. Sports physicals take just minutes and are very affordable! I recently took Zac in for his physical at our local CareNow and it took us less than 20 minutes! Learn more about why I love CareNow below.
2. Make sure their shoes fit. Depending on what sport your child does, they may need special shoes. It can be tempting to buy them from a second-hand or thrift store, or to use hand-me-downs from your first kid, and I totally recommend it if the shoes genuinely fit. If they’re still a little big, or already too small, they can cause all kinds of issues while they play. You don’t want them to trip or get tons of blisters!
3. Introduce them to the sport off the field. They don’t need to be pros going into the class, the class is there to teach them. However, letting them see and play around with the ball or whatever equipment will be used for the sport can make your kids feel more comfortable around it.
4. Recruit a friend. Zac wasn’t so sure if he could handle doing soccer, but then he found out one of his best friends was in the class. He was excited because of that, but when the first day came, he still wasn’t sure. However, wanting to show off his skills to his friend motivated him to give it a shot and he eventually got over his fear and did it!
5. Remind them it’s all for fun. It’s healthy to have a competitive drive, but it’s easy for kids {especially young kids} to get frustrated when they aren’t good at something immediately. Remind them it’s just about having fun and trying something new, they don’t have to win every game! Taking some of that pressure off can mean all the difference.
If you have a local CareNow, I highly recommend checking it out! When we went to get Zac’s physical, we spent less time on that entire appointment than just a call to his pediatrician to schedule the appointment would likely have been. It was so affordable, too, we don’t have health insurance so that pediatrician visit would have cost us $150+, while a physical at CareNow is much less.
Another thing I love about CareNow is that you can visit on your own schedule. Instead of having to take the kids out of school to get a physical, you can go on a weekend {they’re open 7 days a week!} or even after school {they’re open way later than a normal doctor’s office}. You can check-in online and wait at home, or just walk right in, no appointment necessary.
CareNow can do a lot more than physicals, too. They have convenient care for lots of minor illnesses and injuries. {Find out all the different things they can treat here!} Instead of having to make appointments weeks out, you can get relief from whatever is bothering you the same day. I recommend it to my loved ones whenever they’re sick, and now I’m recommending it to you! If you have a CareNow location near you, be sure to check it out the next time you find yourself needing care.