


Running with kids: The right way at the right time
Parents who love running often wonder whether their kids can join them. It depends on the age of the kids—and the parents’ expectations.

Is competition in sports healthy for kids?
Many parents have asked me if I think competition is healthy for kids. Is it healthy? Is it “toxic”? Does it diminish self-confidence?

Fight for your right to play
Casual sport and neighbourhood play are important. But as our urban centres grow, competition for our public spaces increases as well.

Coaching girls in sport: What the research says
From a sporting standpoint, the thing I enjoy most about coaching girls is the fact that they listen. They listen because they want to get it right. Getting it right is important because they want to be socially accepted, and in their early years of participation, social acceptance is their number one reason for getting … Continued

Kicking: How to teach kids to kick a soccer ball
Teach kids how to strike for power

Study: Fathers strongly influence daughters’ activity levels
Active dads help daughters be active

Throwing: How to teach kids to throw correctly
Learn the basics of an overhand throw

What your child’s coach wants you to know
Find out how to best support your child’s coach

Running: How to teach kids to sprint correctly
The mechanics are simple, but they need to be learned

Parent myths, and real truths, about physical literacy
Debunking some common fallacies

Does your kid suck?
How to deal with what’s real

Does your child want to give up? Cultivate a growth mindset
Hard work and determination are more important than raw talent

6 steps to teaching sportsmanship to kids
It all starts with the behaviour of adult role models

Children are not robots, and play is not boot camp
Make an authentic human connection with your child and anything is possible

8 reasons parents should play with their kids
In the talk around getting kids active, all of us have probably heard people say, “Kids should just go outside and play.” Nice idea, but we know it doesn’t work, and Active for Life’s Richard Monette has discussed a few reasons why. But there’s another version of this sentiment that especially bothers me. In the … Continued

How to deal with a bully coach
There’s no benefit to your child for ‘toughing it out’

Video on children’s soccer says everything about what’s wrong and what’s right
As Lionel Messi said: “Soccer is a game to have fun”

6 things—and 6 words—to say to your kids
Offer encouragement and let them know you love them regardless of the score

My daughter in sports: Finding her place
A life in sports won’t always be a perfectly smooth road, but it’s valuable nevertheless

How the egghead kid became a sporty dad
Meet Coach Jim, Active for Life’s coaching expert