Share your tips on encouraging your children to learn new skills with the England and Wales Cricket Board - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[EmmaMumsnet]

As we know, children are constantly acquiring new skills and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are now launching their All Stars Cricket initiative, to ensure that children are learning sport and social skills across the UK. To help celebrate this, they’d love to hear your tips on how you encourage your DCs to always be learning new skills.

Here’s what the ECB have to say: ‘All Stars Cricket is a brand new initiative from the England and Wales Cricket Board aimed at providing children aged 5 to 8 with a great first experience in cricket. The programme is delivered across England and Wales at over 1,500 fully accredited All Stars Cricket centres. It is a fun and active way to develop your child’s skills, and through our 8-week programme they will learn lots – as well as make new friends – in a safe and inclusive environment. All girls and boys are welcome, and each registered child will receive a pack of cricket goodies including a cricket bat, ball, backpack, water bottle, personalised shirt and cap to keep so that they can continue their love of cricket when they go home.’

So how do you inspire your DC to start learning a new skill, and make sure they persevere and don’t give up? Do you make sure your kids join teams and group activities where they can be motivated by their peers? Or maybe they’re encouraged to keep trying by you always making sure to attend their events and competitions?

Whatever your techniques for making your kids feel like they can do anything if they keep practicing, share them with ECB in the thread below for your chance to win a £300 voucher of your choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

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I don't know about the 10000 theory stuff, all I know is I get a rush of pleasure at my kids being happy, and most of the time their favourite exercise is to jump on each others backs and bounce on the trampoline until they can't breathe with laughing....I don't push my kids to do anything one iota! As a kid I was pushed to do Viola lessons on a tuesday, Karate on a thursday and saturday morning, horse riding on a sunday, plus as my parents both worked full time, I had to stay with various folk during the week, which I hated, and I never felt I could pursue the activities I actually wanted to do like singing and riding my bike with my friends, so, if my kids show an interest in something, I encourage them, I am happy for them, but I never push them.
Childhood is way too short as it is. At the moment my two girls and eldest son play football with their local little clubs, but the majority of their exercise and activities are being out on their bikes with their mates!

Its all about encouragement. I don't wan to push my sons into anything and while its very hard to teach a child to ride a bike, for example, without getting frustrated, we just try to encourage and then praise lots when they get it right.

2 of my children are very sporty and are in several school teams each. The other one was very sporty until she started a new school and wasn't selected for any sport. Now she's very reluctant to partake in anything. It's not hard to get them into sport but it's very very easy to put them off.

My DCs both go to swimming lessons on a Saturday morning and my older DD also goes to gymnastics. I think that it is important for them to be healthy and also for them to mix with other children to learn about sharing and taking turns.

We take them to clubs and groups, but only ones they find fun. I'm not a big fan of pushing dcs in sports.

We never push our little Ines in a particular direction, but encourage them to try litany of activities and participate in a wide range of experiences so they are more likely to find something they really enjoy. Their sad and I also model a love of team sports and hobbies so the boys can see an active lifestyle away from screens as a norm.

I encourage activities that the children show an interest in. Swimming lessons are non negotiable as its such an important life skill, but other interests are driven by the children and encouraged by us, e.g. Piano lessons, afterschool sports clubs, signing club, craft clubs etc.

I think it's just about getting involved with them show them new things so they know there is so much variety out there. They won't be good at everything but they will realise with practice they can become better.

we try and show them other people doing things first to gauge their interest then get them involved

We have a very limited income. My son gets so much from scouting. All the new skills and activities he takes part in would have been out of our normal reach. I encourage him to go by reminding him of the fun he has had. The allure of summer camp is enough to keep him going on a damp cold winter night meeting or a boring church service which is his duty to his group.
Kayaking,windsailing etc.

With my daughter I've always tried to strike the delicate balance between not giving up and recognising when she genuinely does not enjoy a new activity. For example, every half-term there was a gymnastics/trampolining/dance group at the local high school. As much as she enjoyed it she was always frustrated that she wasn't the best - not even in the top 10%. She never won the awards at the end of the week. The operative word though was "enjoy". I would not let her leave because she was not the best because she still enjoyed it. She even won an award in the end! However, she wanted to take French lessons outside of school but absolutely loathed it. There was no enjoyment and she made no progress so after a few sessions I cancelled it.

I encourage them to do what they enjoy - even if the result is spending my weekends now stood on a cold football pitch! If they are happy, I am happy. However if I see there are free trials of things - such as our local country park over the Summer did a kayaking taster - I will take them to these to see if they have an interest. I don't push them and to be fair, both my children are very good at trying new things.

It's a shame the cricket is only ages 5 - 8.

We encourage new clubs but I find the best way to encourage DS doesn't give up is to also take part. He then sees me not doing very well and having to practise these new skills. There is no point continuing to do something he hates but there is a difference between being frustrated that it hasn't come to him naturally and really not enjoying what you are doing.

I'm fortunate to be able to take my child to several clubs during the week and she loves to learn new things. I also praise the effort she is making rather than the actual achievement and do not push her if she is struggling with something but take a break and try again another time which seems to work for my child. I think this helps her learn new skills much quicker than if I kept pressuring her and makes all our clubs much more enjoyable.

We learn new things together as a family

Take them to see other people doing the activity and try it with friends regularly. They need to enjoy it though otherwise it will not last long anyway. My eldest did not like Judo and so gave it up in around a year, he gave it a go, instead he joined the Beavers and enjoyed it so much he stayed and is now a Scout, he made sure he completed each award before moving up to, don't push too hard.

Access to stuff-I've just bought a hockey stick (from a charity shop-£4!) and a rugby ball (£1.99 from Aldi) this week to play in the garden with.

And keep if fun! Lots of laughing, silliness and time to do it.

I show my daughter children doing different skills on YouTube, it gives her motivation and has recently decided she wants to paint her daddy. We're setting up the painting table tomorrow :-)

Never give up after the first attempt/lesson, even if they don't like it! My son didn't like his first football or swimming lesson but after a couple of weeks he settled down and now loves both. If after a few weeks the situation hadn't changed then I wouldn't force him to go back. Lots of praise and encouragement also helps.

I think showing an active interest in their interests is a great way to encourage and show support.

I help out at some clubs and they like that (I would revisit the idea if/when they don't) but I also watch some as a spectator and drop them off at others, so they have a good mix

If they want to join a new club or team then they know that they have to give it a fair try before giving up, especially if it means letting a team down. The only one they weren't given an option on was swimming, they have to go until they could save themselves if they end up in water unexpectedly. They are happy to start new activities because they generally enjoy them and they know that if they don't they only have x more lessons (and this extra time has changed their mind about it more often than not!)

We encourage trying your best and that it's not about winning, and trying to improve yourself rather than beat other people (e.g. improve your own time running a race rather than beat your friend and come first)

We keep on trying. We love sports. I represented uni for cricket, but me and the OH are both ski instructors and he was a professional surfer. We take our kids, and try things, again and again. We repeat the mantra- 'if we fall, we're learning'. Our elder daughter is four, and she swims, she skis and she has a go. Sometimes she sucks, but isn't that the point? So we try, and we watch bits back and talk about how fantastic it was to try. We watch other people doing well. We talk about failure leading to success.. and she doesn't find things easy.. but we all have a go!

I totally agree about encouraging enthusiasm or even curiosity. Like others, I do not push. There is so much pressure on young children these days with school,sport should be fun.

My son is signed up to try the cricket through this!

I think it is really important to try and learn new skills throughout childhood.
I let my son try out holiday clubs etc for different sports.
And we focus on his effort in trying to learn the skill, and talk about how long it takes to become an expert

I want my son to try lots of different skills while he learns about himself and what he enjoys etc

Shame the cricket costs money (and you get loads of tat) whereas the equivalent tennis one was free, which makes it much more accessible

And I agree, key for me is that sport
Is fun. No pressure, but good coaching.