What running, catching, kicking and balancing are really teaching your child

Watch preschoolers with a ball and something interesting happens.

One chases it in the wrong direction. Another tries to kick it before it stops bouncing. A third celebrates a World Cup victory, although nobody knows the game or score.

It looks like fun. It is.

Beneath the laughter, children are building physical, cognitive and social foundations.

Early childhood sport needs movement, experimentation and enjoyment, without adult expectations of league tables, fixed positions or hours of drills.[4]

Start with movement, not competition

Young children are still developing the attention, coordination and emotional maturity for complex rules and competitive games.[1]

They can still enjoy play-based sport.

Running, jumping, throwing, catching, kicking and balancing build fundamental movement skills. Research involving thousands of preschoolers shows that structured programmes can improve these skills.[2] Some studies also suggest benefits for working memory, self-control and social-emotional skills, although findings vary.[3]

At three or four, the goal is confident, comfortable movement.

Sport gives children more ways to succeed

A child uninterested in football may love throwing, swimming or obstacle courses. Children need opportunities to discover what they enjoy.

Variety offers achievement, friendship and belonging, sometimes through an unexpected talent.

As children form beliefs about themselves, these experiences matter:

“I can do this.”

“I’m getting better.”

“Can I try again?”

They build confidence and the resilience to try again.

The brain is exercising too

Catching a ball keeps a young brain busy.

Watch its path. Judge its speed. Position the body. Move the hands. Remember the instruction. Avoid the enthusiastic friend approaching from the other direction.

Team activities add listening, turn-taking and cooperation. Children learn simple rules and adjust when someone else has a different idea.

These experiences offer practice in communication and problem-solving.

Otters are naturally gifted at aquatic sports. For everything else, we also need practice.

Learning to win, and not to win

Sport offers manageable encounters with something adults recognise: things do not always go to plan.

The ball misses the target.

Someone else gets there first.

The team loses the game.

With supportive adults, these become opportunities to learn.

Children practise managing disappointment, celebrating others and trying again. Repetition helps them experience improvement and develop perseverance and good sportsmanship.

Those lessons travel beyond the sports field.

What about simply playing outside?

Free play matters. Climbing, inventing games and exploring outdoors are valuable experiences.

Structured activities offer something complementary:

Demonstration and repeated practice can help children learn to catch, control a ball or throw towards a target.

Research suggests structured programmes can improve some movement skills, particularly running and jumping, more than unstructured activities alone.[2]

Children benefit from the playground and from well-designed sport.

What Sports looks like at Oxford Explorers

At Oxford Explorers, Sports is part of every child’s week.

Activities reflect children’s age and development. Younger children might practise balance, coordination and following a signal; older children can explore more complex ball skills, movement sequences and teamwork.

Each child is encouraged to explore, practise and improve from their own starting point.

Most importantly, they genuinely love it.

Enjoyment matters as children begin forming their relationship with physical activity. Friendship and achievement can help them feel that movement is for them.

Physical development belongs alongside creative exploration and purposeful play in our wider curriculum, building confidence for what comes next.

Ollie’s takeaway

Do not worry about whether your three-year-old is “good at sport”.

Ask whether they are running, balancing, throwing, catching, trying, laughing and growing more confident in their bodies.

The medals can wait.

Discovering that movement is fun is already a wonderful victory.

Let’s Explore Together! 🦦

Sources and further reading

[1] American Academy of Pediatrics. Is Your Child Ready for Sports?

[2] Chen, D., et al. (2024). Effects of structured and unstructured interventions on fundamental motor skills in preschool children: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1345566.

[3] Li, Y., Ler, H. Y., Zhang, D., & Su, L. (2026). Fundamental motor skill interventions significantly improve executive functions and social–emotional competence in preschoolers: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1721589.

[4] American Academy of Pediatrics (2019). American Academy of Pediatrics Encourages Organized Sports – For the Fun of It.

[5] Oxford Explorers. A Curriculum That Protects Childhood and Prepares Children for What Comes Next.

At Oxford Explorers, weekly age-appropriate Sports helps nurture confident, curious and capable young learners.

Book an Explorer Day to see learning in action at our Braddell or Bayshore centre.