Football, soccer, hockey, basketball, t-ball, baseball, rugby, wrestling, softball, volleyball — today's kids have many options to choose from. Team sports, either school-sanctioned or community-based, can be a wonderful opportunity for your child to get regular exercise and improve coordination and motor skills. With a good coach and a positive peer environment, team sports can also help build self-esteem and develop social and leadership skills.

However, team sports aren't for everyone. Your child may feel self-conscious about her size and skill level. If she does not feel comfortable with the prospect of joining a team, don't force it. There are plenty of other options for her to exercise her body and mind.

Pros and Cons

If your child is on the fence about participating in a team sport, here are some factors you may want to consider. On the positive side are the following:

• Being a team player. Being part of a team means learning how to get along and work towards a common goal, a life skill critical for all children.

• Building leaders. Your child may also find she has a natural gift for motivating her teammates.

• Committing to fitness. When your child joins a team, she makes a commitment to attend regular practices and games. This can be a good motivator for kids who need structure and scheduling to integrate fitness into their lifestyle.

• Developing strengths and working past weaknesses. Your child may discover she's a powerful batter but not so hot when it comes to fielding. Other teammates may have the opposite issue. Coaches provide balance by helping players complement each other's strengths. They also will help your child capitalize on her strengths and develop her weaker areas.

  On the negative side are these factors:

• Choosing sides. If you've been on the receiving end of being picked last for a team sport, you know what a miserable feeling it can be. Letting kids choose teams is simply not a good practice for a phys ed teacher or coach.

• Stiff competition. Depending on the setting, the competitiveness in a team sport can quickly extinguish your child's excitement about participating. This is especially true if she is just learning the game and is less skilled than her teammates.

• Warming the bench. Ideally, all children will get their fair share of playing time. But depending on the setting, the coach, and your child's skill level, she could spend more time on the sidelines than in the game.

Teaming Up Outside the Schoolyard

When school-sanctioned team sports are either not available or not a good choice for your child, look into community-based options. Community centers, park districts, local churches, fitness centers (such as the YMCA), and area Boys and Girls Clubs are good places to start. Your child's physical education teacher is also a good source of information on what's available in your town.

Teams are usually structured around age or skill level or a combination of the two. This can be an issue if your older child is starting out in a sport and doesn't feel comfortable being stuck with the little kids. Conversely, your child may be placed on a team based on age, where his teammates are all playing at a higher skill level even though he is just becoming familiar with the game. Some individual coaching or instruction could be an answer to this dilemma. Talking to the potential coach about these issues is the best way to figure out how to address them.