← All articles
Children, concentration & learning
My child doesn't like ball sports – what makes the task difficult?
“My child just doesn't like ball sports.” That can be a perfectly normal preference. Sometimes, though, a second question is worth asking: what does your child actually find difficult about catching, throwing or joining in?
An example from my work
I worked with a child who did not want to take part in ball sports at all. On closer examination, a visual difficulty also became apparent. During our work at the time, it improved quickly.
This example reminded me how quickly we can interpret behaviour as a fixed characteristic. For this child, vision was a relevant starting point. That does not mean every child who avoids ball games has a visual problem.
How many smaller tasks are involved in catching?
A ball comes towards you. You need to see it, judge its movement and distance, and move your hands accordingly. At the same time, you maintain your balance and may also be responding to other children.
To adults, a failed catch can quickly look like poor coordination. For the child, the difficulty may be much more specific: the ball is too fast, the situation is confusing, or judging its movement takes effort. Which of these applies should be explored with an open mind.
Ask questions rather than apply labels
Instead of saying, “You're just not a ball-sports person,” we can ask: what don't you like about it? Is it the ball coming towards you? The speed? The group? Or do you simply not enjoy it? The child's answer is part of our starting point.
We can also observe more precisely. Is rolling easier than catching? Is a slow, predictable situation easier? Does uncertainty appear during other movements too? These differences offer clues for further assessment.
Assessment focuses on the specific task
Where a clinical evaluation or functional assessment is appropriate, it is guided by the difficulty observed. This may involve looking at vision, gaze control, balance and their coordination with movement. The choices should suit the child and their concern.
A promising approach then needs to prove useful in a suitable movement task. An isolated test alone does not tell us whether ball games become easier. Wherever possible, the child should be able to show and describe what changes.
Preferences are allowed to stay
The aim is not to make every child enthusiastic about ball sports. If they prefer climbing, dancing or cycling, that is just as valid. The point is to identify avoidable difficulties when they keep a child from something they would actually like to do.
An open question creates more possibilitiesBefore assuming a fixed limit, we can learn what is making a task difficult right now. The child's wishes remain central.
When an eye examination makes sense
If your child also reports blurred or double vision, frequently closes one eye or complains of discomfort during visual tasks, raise this during an ophthalmological examination. Depending on the question, an orthoptic assessment may also be appropriate. A noticeable difference between the eyes should be assessed professionally too.
You do not need to provoke symptoms or carry out your own testing programme at home. A specific, pressure-free description of what you already notice is helpful.
What you can take from this example
The example shows why it helps to ask about the specific difficulty. For the child in my example, a visual difficulty was relevant and changed quickly. For another child, the answer may be very different.
That is the openness I would like to see in our approach to movement: listening, understanding the task and offering the child suitable possibilities.
Would you like to discuss something you have noticed?In a free first conversation, we can consider which next step might make sense for your child's situation. Find out about the free first conversation