How much hockey is too much for young children?
Kids should not be playing hockey 12 months a year…full stop. There have been plenty of studies and opinions lately about the importance of developing well-rounded athletes and people, which will surely benefit the same kids as they grow.
When my kids were younger they did play 3-on-3 hockey in the Summer because they asked to, but they also did soccer, dryland training and other regular kid stuff.
What say you?
#imahockeydad
Agree. After a very hectic year of house league and select which went all the way to the very last game in May and I was close to a nervous breakdown, I put my foot down to all organized summer activities and said NO. (I caved this week, the second last before school starts, and put both in afternoon tennis). Ben’s hockey coach said “all summer activities, whether organized or not, will transfer to hockey later. So go ahead and play unorganized games with your buddies, climb those trees, jump into lakes, go fishing…do all that and enjoy it.”
8 months of hockey is enough, no? The children are CHILDREN. Both my kids like other sports even though hockey is and will be Ben’s favorite and most obsessed about passion (especially after having won the MVP award last year). No hockey all summer even though many of his select buddies did the 4 on 4 did not hurt that child of mine. In fact, a summer of decompressing and relaxing and biking and swimming and whacking a tennis ball against the side of the house and picnicing and going to museums and not playing constant never-ending competitive sports was very good for him (and us as a family).
It is because of this break we can all look forward to a new hockey season beginning in a mere two weeks. I say this as not a seasoned hockey mom, but as an athletic-competitive-hungry-child-advocate mom.