How to encourage DC to join in group sports

[allthenoise]

DC(6) went to a football camp and a rugby camp over the summer holidays. He loved football so much he asked to join a football group. We've been along to 4 sessions (2 a week) and he refuses to join in as all the other kids (same birth year) seem to play very well.

I don't know how to encourage him to join in. We've tried being next to them and playing football together. I've tried getting him to go sit in the groups when they call everyone in. Then he'll try for 5 mins and come out again. I've asked if he doesn't like the sport, which I'm more than happy not to go, but he says he does he's just scared.

We take the youngest (2) to a rugby group and older DC joins in for that and really loves it. However he won't join his age group.

Help. I really want to support him as much as I can especially if he likes the sport but is scared of the group situation

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He may just be more cautious than some.

My dd1 used to always take about a term to get used to anything. She say she wanted to do something, go and watch a trial session, say she wanted to do it, and I'd sign her up for a term, around 10 weeks.
About 7 weeks I'd be thinking that I'd say to the leader she wasn't enjoying it, and pull her out. On week 8/9 she'd come out saying how much she loved it and didn't look back from there. She did some of her groups for more than 10 years from there.

Dd2 used to love new groups, would be right in doing it from day one, and then after 2 terms be bored and want to move onto something else.

Ds used to hate the idea of doing anything out of the house, even if he loved the activity, unless it was straight after school. He did one under duress (he had been very ill, and hadn't done anything for a year and was getting very reluctant to see anyone outside the house, so we reached an agreement that he did one activity,) for a term and a half before he suddenly came out and asked to do more. That's the only activity he still does 10 years later and at one point he did around 15 hours a week on top of school.

They're different and take different times to get used to it.

@MargaretThursday amazing thank you. I'll keep persevering