You can download this article as a PDF. Sports seasons for kids are getting longer, and the level of play is more intense than it used to be.

Many young athletes take part in the same sport nearly all year around. As a result, sports injuries are becoming more common in children and teens.

Here are some things that you and your child can do to protect their growing body from getting hurt. Schools and athletic clubs often require an annual sports exam before a child participates. This exam is different from a yearly well-child checkup. It includes sports-related questions and evaluations to make sure your young athlete is ready to compete safely.

This will allow time for more tests or follow-up visits, if needed. Your child should prepare for their sport before the first practice. Make sure they are getting at least 1 hour of exercise each day but aim to have at least 1 day off per week and at least 1 month off per year to allow for rest and recovery.

They should slowly build up the length and intensity of exercise to help prevent injuries from increasing activity too quickly.

Encourage them to work on certain kinds of exercise that will help them get ready for their sport. For example, if your child is going to play soccer, suggest they start running. Younger kids can start with a few laps around the field or playground and slowly increase the distance.

Older kids can start slow and work up to a few miles a couple of times each week. Stretching the muscles can help keep and increase flexibility, which also helps prevent injury. Your child will learn the rules for their sport during practices, but it is a good idea to start learning about the rules and needed sports equipment before the season starts.

Discuss with your child that the rules are in place to help keep them safe. For example, rules about tackling in football are in place to help prevent concussions and neck injuries. Rules about pitch count protect the arm and shoulder.

Using the right equipment and safety gear for the sport can lower the chance of getting hurt. Some examples of safety gear are mouth guards, pads and helmets.

Check that your child is playing on safe surfaces. For example, check for basketball pole padding and anchored goalposts. Speak up if you see any issues such as an unsecured base on the field, or water on the court.

Light stretching and jogging before practices and games helps warm the muscles to make them more flexible and prepare them for activity. Cooling down with stretching afterwards helps the muscles recover and helps prevent injuries. Young athletes need to eat well-balanced meals and snacks, just as we all should.

Provide food from each of the food groups — grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and meat and beans. Most young athletes will eat the amount of food that their body needs on their own. If you have any questions about how much or what types of food your child should eat, contact their healthcare provider for advice.

Some sports, such as wrestling or gymnastics, have a focus on weight or physical appearance. It can be hard to know if your child is getting enough of the right kinds of food.

It is important for kids to drink fluids before, every 20 minutes during, and then after playing. Water is usually best, but a sports drink can be a good choice if your child has been intensely active for more than 1 hour.

Sports drinks help replace sodium and potassium lost in sweat. They also provide energy. The downside is that sports drinks contain a lot of sugar, so avoid giving more than 1 to your child in a day.

Never let your child play through pain or a possible concussion. Playing sports can teach kids to stretch their limits and learn sportsmanship and discipline. But any sport can lead to injury. Parents and coaches can make a big difference in helping kids play sports safely.

For example, they should wear helmets for baseball , softball, bike riding , and hockey. They also should wear helmets while they're inline skating or riding scooters and skateboards.

Ask your child's coach about the appropriate helmets, shoes, mouthguards, athletic cups and supporters, and padding. For racquet sports, field hockey, lacrosse , basketball , softball, and baseball, ask about any protective eyewear, like shatterproof glasses.

Protective equipment should be approved by the organizations that oversee the sports. Hockey masks, for example, should be approved by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council HECC or the Canadian Standards Association CSA. Bicycle helmets should have a safety certification sticker from the Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC.

Check that playing fields are not full of holes and ruts that might cause kids to fall or trip. Kids doing high-impact sports, like basketball and running, should do them on surfaces like tracks and wooden basketball courts, which can be more forgiving than surfaces like concrete. Any team sport or activity that kids participate in should be supervised by qualified adults.

Choose leagues and teams that have the same commitment to safety and injury prevention that you do. The team coach should have training in first aid and CPR, and the coach's philosophy should promote players' well-being.

A coach with a win-at-all-costs attitude may encourage kids to play through injury and may not foster good sportsmanship.

Be sure that the coach enforces playing rules and requires the use of safety equipment at all times. Work with the coach to make sure your kids play sports that match their skill level, size, and physical and emotional maturity.

Before starting a new sport, kids should know the general rules of the game and how to stay safe. They should stretch and warm up before practices and before games.

This will help them have fun and lower the chances of an injury.