Should I let my 5 yr. old son play flag football?

Question

My son will start K in the fall. He wants to play flag football. It is for K through 2nd graders. Should I let him play? I'm just afraid he will get hurt!

Answer 1

he is 5 years old lady and hes playing with 2nd graders? this is a common sense answer

Answer 2

Kevin Everett wishes he had played flag football instead.

Answer 3

yeah let him play..you can't get too hurt in flag football =/..plus if he does get knocked down a few times and stuff it's okay

Answer 4

if he wants to play let him play.  football actually teaches good team work skills and communication skills.

Answer 5

it's flag football!!!!!

the whole point is that no one gets hurt!  relax.

Answer 6

Yes, he could get hurt just walking out the front door. Let him play flag football, it sounds like a fairly safe game and you will be there to comfort him if he does get a little bump.

Answer 7

i've played flag football he'll be fine

rules are really strict

Answer 8

why not....an child needs exercise as they are young to grow...flag footballs a fun activity for a kid his age...i give the thumbs up

Answer 9

yeah..absolutly..if he wants to...you should let him do it b.c if he is going into kindergarten..it is a great activity to be in and it is also a good way to meet new friends...at least he wants to be in a sport...also if he does end up playing in highschool or middle school. it is good practice for him..its football people get hurt..but its not like its tackling or anything..he cant hurt himself too bad it just flag..my brother played flag football and the worst that i saw happen to one of the boys was that he tripped or somebody fell on top of him on accident..nothing too bad..not going to damage you for te rest of your life..just a alittle bruise for a couple days..but yeah i say let him play.

Answer 10

You sound like me, but he can get hurt walking across the floor at home.  Unless he has some reason for not playing (like he's a bleeder or something) I would let him play.  He has to grow up sometime, and you want him to have fun in good ways.  It's nice that he likes sports and wants to have fun with other kids.  

If you go to the games and they seem too rough, you can always take him out and explain why.

Answer 11

he could step off the side of the road and be killed tomorrow.   how would you answer your question then?

Answer 12

Let him play, if it's what he wants to do.  He's gonna get hurt no matter what he does.  My friends son gets hurt on a weekly basis just playing at a playground!

Answer 13

I would say sure let him play one he needs to get into sports and FLAG football seems it would be a good start. Even if he does get hurt im sure it would maybe be some scrapes and cuts at that age i don't think anyone can do any significant damage to each other. Hope this helps

Answer 14

What is the program like? Do they teach the kids at an appropriate level? Do the kids wear mouth guards?

Why not let him try it? BTW They don't tackle in flag football although kids do trip over each other LOL. Flag football is no more dangerous than playing tag in the front yard---probably less because he'll have a mouth guard and someone will blow the whistle to stop the game when the ball is "down."

FYI He could get hurt just as badly playing soccer (think: collisions)  or t-ball or any other sport.

Let him try it and have fun!

Answer 15

Look at yourself. You are having some pretty strong emotions about it. If your kid wants to play, it is up to you to decide.

It sounds like you have some legitimate doubts. There is no reason why you couldn't wait a year for his coordination to develop further.

The concern you have for injury is legitimate. There is a certain difference between a 5 and 7 year old. Based on your post and your concerns, I don't see any reason you couldn't wait one year and tell you kid that you want to wait and see and then make weigh the decision again before next year's season.

Off topic:  I swear I wish that people would facilitate kick ball tournaments as we did at our school. We have first through 6th grade compete and play every year. We have only one "major injury," which came from student falling and stoving her "pinky" finger. Other than that the injuries have been very seldom, and these only involved minor scrapes, or sometimes a slight bruise from a ball contact out, which we regulate by having a minimum distance established before being able to throw someone out with ball contact.

The thing I want to stress most is that we have a BLAST! The teachers, the parents/guardians, and the students. Just mix up the talent and ages equally on the teams and everyone has fun.

Back to topic: Hang in there mom. You can tell him you want to wait until he is at least six and be honest about your feelings concerning injury.

Lastly, there is no reason you can't change your mind, which is both a mother's and woman's prerogative :), and let him play football after you have spoken with other parents and witnessed for yourself how the games are managed with respect to the rules and the concern by coaches and officials for all the children's safety.

Good luck!

Answer 16

my little cousin plays.. and he LOVES it. It's so cute to watch them play. His coaches are on the field the whole time, they have pads and such. I wouldnt expect him to get hurt too bad. He could be a part of a team and learn good skills from that at a young age!

good luck!

Answer 17

It is ok it is very fun... and plus you don't get tackled so... yea let him do it.

Answer 18

No. Football is evil. Teach him soccer.

Answer 19

I would say yes.  If you dont, because of your fear... he'll resent you for it and he might miss out on some golden opportunities for growth, learning and fun!  The coach I'm sure we'll be teaching these kids SAFE ways to play and have fun.  Let him go for it...

Answer 20

Yes! At least he wants to run around outside- so many kids are house bound these days and play video games all day. Being on a team will be great for him, he will learn the sport, how to exercise, how to be a team player, and learn discipline etc.

I began playing soccer at 4 years old- it has taught me many lessons I used in life.

Answer 21

if you think he will get hurt then no..........

Answer 22

Only if he excels at his studies.

Answer 23

yeah so he'll have fun plus if you dont let your kids have a little freedom they'll grow up to do things behind your back. but yeah if he's healthy lolgood luck<33

Answer 24

Let him play! Theres no tackling so let him have a great time!!

Answer 25

Please let him play.  I think it is important to encourage children when they have an interest in something.  It is flag football!  You can't be so afraid of injury that you never let them do anything!

Answer 26

Now is the safest time for him to play.  Kids are very resilient.  Let the boy play.

Answer 27

Its Flag football. If he is interested in it, let him play. I'm glad that a child is able to want to play the game for himself rather than a parent forcing them to play.

This is a good thing. If he gets hurt, he probably will decide not to play anymore. But I doubt he will be injured at flag football.

Answer 28

Let him play , its not like theres teenagers playing to hurt him. lol

Answer 29

I'm sure he'll be fine.  I have a 5 yr old nephew and he's wanting to play too...my sister agreed for the simple fact it's a little safer than tackle...yeah, some littleboys might get aggresive, but most the time they are just pulling at each others flags....i say let him do it...andit would be fun to watch him too!

Answer 30

There are rules set in place to keep the kids safe. Stop being over protective..

Answer 31

aww. moms are always so protective over their children. i think u should let him play. its not like its tackle football. in flag football , the kids dont really get hurt. you will have fun watching him play and he will have fun playing.