Why all children should be able to throw and catch by 5 years old.

Nowadays, teaching your children to swim and ride a bike is seen as an essential skill to learn at an early age. People are almost shocked if you can’t master these skills by the age of 6 or 7. Swimming lessons often begin as early as 6 months old, and riding a bike can start from around age 2, when children use balance bikes, stabilizers, etc.

So, my question is: why is throwing and catching not in this category?!

I spend a lot of time in schools and still come across so many children who cannot throw or catch—even as late as Years 3 and 4. The excuse often seems to be, “Well, bless little Johnny! He’s got his terrible coordination skills from me!” I understand that some children are naturally better at picking up certain skills than others. However, isn’t this also true for riding a bike or learning to swim?

When it comes to throwing and catching (and sport in general), people seem to believe children either have "it" or they don’t. I’ve taught some of the most uncoordinated children—those who can’t even catch a rolling ball. However, with a bit of encouragement, instruction, and practice, these children eventually have no problems catching a ball. Like everything in life, a bit of guidance and repetition goes a long way!

To me, being able to throw and catch at an early age is an essential skill, and it should be placed in the same category as swimming and riding a bike. Most of the children I come across who cannot throw or catch often say they find sport "boring" or claim they "don’t want to take part." As a result, they don’t try to improve.

It’s almost as if society views throwing, catching, and playing sports as innate abilities. Simply put: if it doesn’t come naturally to you, then you can’t do anything about it. This creates a vicious cycle. If a child has never been taught to throw or catch and then tries it unsuccessfully, they are not going to enjoy it. If they don’t enjoy it, they won’t repeat it. If they don’t repeat it, they won’t improve. And so, the cycle continues!

We are currently experiencing an obesity epidemic affecting both adults and children, with very little being done to tackle the root causes. Nowadays, technology makes it even more challenging to encourage people to stay physically active. I believe that teaching children to throw and catch before they start school can have a huge impact on their enjoyment of sports and physical activity. Whether this practice takes place at home, in a sports class, at nursery, or all of the above—I think it’s essential.

Think about the impact this could have if every child entered school already able to throw and catch. Sports skills could be taught at an earlier age, and a positive relationship with sports and physical activity could be developed sooner. This would then lead to lifelong participation in physical activity, improved health, and enhanced well-being.

I also believe more needs to be done in primary schools. Physical activity is often seen as secondary to other subjects, and many teachers I come across don’t feel comfortable delivering PE lessons to young children.

Clearly, we are not doing enough to help tackle rising levels of childhood obesity, as rates have continued to increase year on year. If we can change societal views—teaching that throwing and catching is not "just for coordinated children" and can be taught early—we may take a step toward increasing physical activity levels and combating obesity.