Blogs #child development

When you see a child crying on a soccer field, your first thought is that they're hurt. Most of the time you're wrong. The child is crying because they lost, and that's the most valuable thing on the field.

Defeat is a learnable skill.

Children aren't born knowing how to lose. Losing initially feels like an injustice: I played well too, why did we lose?

Team sports teach this twice a week, in a safe environment, without any real cost to the outcome. The child loses, gets upset, and then comes back the following week. This cycle is their first exercise in endurance.

The muscles that he will use when he fails an exam at school or experiences a disappointment in a friendship are developing here.

Waiting in line and passing the ball

Children between the ages of four and six are naturally egocentric. This is not a flaw, but a developmental stage. When they have the ball, they don't want to give it back because they haven't yet formed a cohesive team.

Football slowly solves this. When you see that a pass results in a goal, you experience that sharing is a gain, not a loss. It's something that can't be taught through explanation, it's learned through playing.

The most difficult job for a guardian: to remain silent on the sidelines.

A parent giving tactical advice from the sidelines during a game thinks they are helping their child. However, the child cannot simultaneously keep track of the ball, the coach, and you. They are caught between the three and often freeze.

The post-game question is also important. A parent who asks, "How many goals did you score?" teaches the child that their value lies in the number of goals scored. A parent who asks, "What did you enjoy most today?" makes the game itself valuable.

The kids who are still playing soccer a year later are usually the ones who hear the second question.

What is our goal?

It's not about training professional footballers. There are other options in Fethiye for children who want that kind of career.

Our job is to ensure that a child who loves football continues to love it, while simultaneously developing their coordination, fitness, and endurance. Some children progress from here, most don't, and that's perfectly fine.

The starting age for football is 4. Our winter term registrations are open.

For information: 0549 613 18 28

In Türkiye, swimming courses mostly accept children aged five and older. There's no pedagogical reason for this; there's a practical one. A five-year-old child follows instructions, waits in line, and can be managed within a group. So, five is a suitable age not for a child, but for group lessons.

However, a child's relationship with water is established much earlier.

What happens at a young age?

A three-year-old child doesn't learn to swim. What they learn is more fundamental: how their body behaves in water.

Water is a different environment than land. Balance is maintained differently, breathing is done differently, and falling doesn't hurt. When a child learns this through experience, it contributes not only to their swimming skills but also to their overall body awareness.

The clearest thing we've seen in eight years is this: in children who start early, the stage of fear of water never develops. It doesn't become an obstacle that needs to be overcome later, because the obstacle is never created.

What difference does it make in a child who starts later?

A seven-year-old child who enters the water for the first time learns technique faster than a three-year-old. Their muscle control is better, and they understand instructions better. But they still have to contend with one thing: the fear of losing control.

A seven-year-old can now conceive of the idea that they might sink. A three-year-old cannot. That's why, for children who start late, the first few weeks are spent building confidence, not focusing on technique.

They are both learning. But one begins learning by overcoming fear, the other without ever having fear.

Is too young the right age for every child?

No, and that needs to be stated clearly.

Some children are not ready for a group at age three. They may experience intense separation anxiety and have difficulty following instructions. This is not a deficiency, but a developmental difference. With such children, one-on-one work or waiting a few months is more appropriate.

It's not about age, it's about observing the child. Our measure is this: if the child wants to go into the water on their own, then they're ready.

So how early is that?

Our club offers baby activities starting from 2 months old: one-on-one, accompanied by a parent, in water heated to 30-32 degrees Celsius. From the age of three, children can join the group independently.

Come see the pool with your child before making a decision. They don't have to go in; just looking is a good start.

For information: 0549 613 18 28

At Likya Spor, for eight years we've seen this: A child who is afraid won't run, a child who smiles will. Sport is the moment a child first says, "My fear is over." If they're afraid to kick the ball, first you take the ball to their chest. If they're afraid to enter the pool, first you wet their toes. Because we know it's not falling that's frightening; it's being alone when you fall. A mother or father looking for a children's sports school in Fethiye; we are here to erase that loneliness. Take one step, we'll complete the rest. We share videos of children smiling during training on Instagram @likyaspor. Take a look before you come to training.