According to a survey conducted by the NFHS, 2016-2017 season set an all-time high record of the participation rate in high school sports. To be specific, 7,963,535 high school athletes played at least one sport in the last season. That is an impressive number and it is expected that there will be even more young athletes joining the ranks this upcoming school year.

Due to such a highly competitive nature of high school athletics, kids are facing a lot of challenges. To help your kids keep up their A-games, parents are always helpful resources. There are several easy tips on how to be the best sports parents a kid can ask for, and below are some of our recommendations:

Teach kids to make their own breakfast

One of the most important aspects of a sports team is the discipline among the players. A team can only be so strong as the will of its team members. Besides the obvious reason of being the most important meals of the day, making their own breakfast is one way to teach your kids discipline. It is not that hard to prepare a quick and nutritious breakfast, and how can teammates rely on your young athletes if they can’t even get up 15 minutes earlier to prep their own food?

Be a role model

If you are guilty of having bad habits, guess what, your kids are likely to adopt those behaviors, too. Eating too much junk food or slacking off household chores is no way to become a good athlete. Going to bed on time, doing chores and minimizing the consumption of fast food will certainly set good examples and encourage your kids to do the same. Plus, it will increase the quality of living for your family overall!

Bring your kids to a sports physicals exam

A sports physicals exam benefits your kids more than the hassle it seems to carry. Also, a sports physicals exam becomes mandatory at almost every school nowadays. In under maximum of an hour, the physicians/doctors will look at your kids’ medical histories and perform a series of examinations. This usually includes:

• Heart, pulse, eyes, ears, nose and mouth tests
• Joint flexibility, posture, and physical strength
• Any update on new vaccinations

Without taking much effort, a sports physicals exam is the best way to identify any underlying risk that could potentially cause an injury to your kids in future. At AFC Urgent Care Stamford, we provide state-of-the-art healthcare services including sports physicals exams. Bring your kids to our facilities today without having to set an appointment, or call us at 203-969-2000 if you have any questions or concerns!