WORDS BY ERICA NEWTON, MYFIRSTGYM CO-FOUNDER
As a parent, I’m all for kids being active. Sport, movement, team spirit: it’s all so important for their development. But recently, I had a little wake-up call that reminded me just how delicate the balance can be.
I was a competitive swimmer growing up. Early mornings, endless laps, weekends at swim meets… I gave it everything. But by the time I hit my late teens, I was done; completely burnt out. These days, I’d rather walk across hot sand or a Lego minefield than dive into a pool. That experience taught me something important: when kids go too hard, too young, it doesn’t always end with a lifelong love of the sport. For a third of Aussie kids aged 10-15, they’ll be making their way to hospital with an injury. Sometimes, it ends with them walking away from movement altogether.
Parenting: the Biggest Teacher of All.
Now I’ve got my own kids, but it seems I haven’t quite learnt the lesson. We have a calendar full of training schedules for multiple sports, games and lessons. We were keeping all the balls in the air (see what I did there?), until a maths test came home with a not-so-great result. In that moment I realised we might’ve been pushing too hard in one direction: there was no room in the calendar for school, extra-curricular activities or perhaps most importantly, down-time at home. The balance had shifted, and not necessarily in our favour.
This is something I talk to other parents about all the time on the sidelines and the school gate: finding that sweet spot between too much and not enough. Our goal isn’t to turn every child into a high-level athlete- that I learnt from personal experience. What is important is to support their physical, mental, social, and emotional development in a way that’s sustainable, safe and fun.
Avoiding Childhood Sport Burnout.
As parents, we’re all doing our best, but sometimes we need to take a step off the sidelines and out of the calendar to really assess whether the schedule is doing its best for our kids.
- Does the activity emphasise fun and variety? Is it enjoyable and diverse enough to maintain motivation (which in turn, reduces pressure)?
- Is there adequate rest? Try to schedule at least one to two rest days per week and avoid excessive training hours for the child’s age.
- Watch for warning signs: Kids shouldn’t be exhausted. Monitor for fatigue, loss of enthusiasm or physical complaints as early signs of burnout or overtraining.
- Support healthy habits: Prioritise sleep, balanced nutrition and hydration for recovery and overall wellbeing.
- Listen your child: Encourage open communication and allow your kids to have a say in their activity choices and limits (within reason- a late night watching movies is not an excuse to skip training in our house!)
And let’s not forget kids also need time to rest, focus on school, hang out with family and friends, and just be kids. When competitive sports start to take over every waking moment, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture (guilty as charged)! It’s exactly what MyFirstGym aims to avoid. We want to support families to create a lifestyle that encourages movement, without the pressure to perform 24/7.
MFG: Movement Without The Burnout
Inspiring a love of movement is all about variety, which is something we’ve built into the fabric of MyFirstGym. We offer a mix of classes that build coordination, strength, balance, flexibility and confidence. From beginner tumbling to ninja-style obstacle courses and parkour, there’s always something new to try. The variety helps prevent the repetitive stress and overuse injuries that can come from doing just one sport all year round. Our coaches are trained professionals who understand how to work with growing bodies too. They know how to challenge kids, without overloading them and make movement exciting again, especially for those who might’ve lost the joy in their sport.
Don’t Pay In May!
So, if you’re looking to shake things up, try something new, or just take a breather from the competitive grind, we’d love to welcome you at one of our gyms across Australia. Be quick, and you can take advantage of our ‘Don’t Pay In May’ sale! This sale is limited to May, so be quick!
Our gym is a space where kids can grow, learn, and love being active: no burnout required.