Although exercise is suitable for every kid, not every sport is appropriate, depending upon age and physical and mental development. Often the most common question is, "what sport is my child ready for?" The answer lies in how far the child is in his or her motor and cognitive development. If a child doesn’t have the motor ability to kick or throw a ball, a sport can be a very frustrating experience. Adults may sometimes forget that children are not as mature and shouldn’t be rushed into sports they are not ready for. If  a child is rushed into a sport he or she hasn’t fully developed the skills for, the possibility for injury can increase.

Although the pace of development varies from child to child, the following are guidelines to follow per age-group as stated by Theodore Ganley, MD, and Carl Sherman in their article “Exercise and Children’s Health” found in the February 2000 volume of The Physician and Sports Medicine Journal:

• 2 to 5 years:
• Start to learn fundamental skills such as how to throw, catch, run, and jump.
• Get kids involved in basic activities that use these skills in a simplistic way, but not in a complicated one, as in organized sports.
• 6 to 9 years:
• Further development of fundamental skills in relation to sports-related motions.
• Better memory and decision-making skills allow kids to understand the concepts and rules behind a game.
• 10 to 12 years:
• Can master complex motor skills.
• Has the cognitive ability to learn the "adult" forms of most sports, including football and basketball.

Many sports today are very rigorous and demanding, with much equipment required for proper safety. The following are sports-specific age tips in relation to safety concerns and motor abilities associated for each sport. However, the point at which a child is “ready” for a sport depends on whether the child is generally interested in the sport and not because of peer or parental pressure.

• Soccer. Children can kick the ball by age 6 or 8 but don’t fully understand the concepts of player positioning, passing, and making plays until several years later. From ages 6-8, the rules are usually adapted to focus more on handling the ball than playing by these “adult” rules.
• Baseball. Most 6-year-old children lack the hand and eye coordination to hit a pitched ball. Kids at this age mostly play “tee-ball,” which involves hitting the ball on a tee. Bigger bats, balls, smaller fields, and more fielders usually make the game easier. For children under 12 in organized leagues, pitchers are limited to the amount of innings they pitch, to prevent injury.
• Running. Distance running is pretty safe on children’s joints and growth plates. The real area of concern is that children have less tolerance for heat than adults and need to be adequately hydrated before and during a race.
• Strength training. Using free weights and machines to increase strength appears to pose no great risk of injury. Any strength training activity should be well supervised, and children should not attempt lifting the  maximal weight until their skeleton is mature - typically at age 15 in girls and age 17 in boys.
• Skiing. Cross-country skiing at small, reasonable distances is easily adaptable by children who are adept at walking and running. Children ages 3-4 can also enjoy downhill skiing with special, modified equipment that keep skis in a permanent snowplow position along with harnesses and tethers that permit parents to control the young skier.  

Source: Theodore Ganley, MD, and Carl Sherman, “Exercise and Children’s Health,” The Physician and Sports Medicine Journal, (February, 2000).