*This is a paid partnership with Hockey Heroes.
As a parent I’ve always taken the position of giving my children the opportunity to try anything that comes their way, or that they show an interest in. At the start of September Alice started Hockey Heroes, which is a hockey programme aimed at children aged 5-8 with no hockey experience.
The programme is six weeks long, with an hour session each week and costs £32, which I think is great value at £5.33 a session. Once you’ve signed up to Hockey Heroes you receive a welcome pack to prepare your child. The welcome pack consisted of two hockey sticks, this is to allow 2 people to be able to play together at home, a ball, a personalised t-shirt and a sheet of stickers to decorate their hockey stick. This is all included in the cost.
Alice was really excited to start on week one and we were lucky it was a lovely late summers morning. When we arrived she was warmly greeted by the Hockey Heroes who would be running the programme. All the instructors were dressed as super heroes, which the children all loved.
An instructor immediately started to show Alice some skills while they waited for everyone else to arrive.
Each week they focus on a different skill like, dribbling, passing and goal scoring. As well as teaching them the physical hockey skills, Hockey Heroes also teaches them about teamwork, communication, perseverance and respect. Make them feel like a hero!
The main instructor is amazing, his enthusiasm, encouragement and the way he interacts with the children was brilliant. He was really engaging and kept their attention for the whole session. He was really personable too, using their names and calling out words of encouragement from the other side of the field.
They made the activities fun and engaging and at the end of each session, they receive a sticker to add to their hockey stick.
Hockey Heroes quickly became a part of Alice’s week that she looked forward too and it was great to see her confidence and skills grow each week.
There was plenty of times they had to work as a team or in pairs. Learning to trust their team players is a big part of the game.
Hockey is an inclusive sport for all ages and for girls and boys. There was a real mixture in Alice’s group of ages and boys and girls. Everyone encouraging each other and celebrating together.
One of Alice’s favourite weeks was learning to score goals. The instructor gave Alice lots of direction of how to tackle and get pass, with the goal in sight.
I loved seeing Alice develop her skills week by week and as a child that excels on praise, the instructor was great at dishing this out.
As the weeks went by, the weather got colder and I wondered if Alice would be as keen. But she was! With her coat and hat on to keep her warm, she still wanted to get out there and learn.
Its important that children learn, that if they want to do a sport then they have to take part whatever the weather.
Having an hour session was just the right amount of time to teach them, and keep their attention. It was a great way to start our Saturday mornings, and I’ve never felt more like a mum stood on the sidelines watching her.
Alice really enjoyed Hockey Heroes and with Hockey not being a sport that many schools include, it was a brilliant opportunity to introduce Alice to it. Hockey Heroes taught them all the basic skills that they need and like I mentioned before I think it is great value for money.
With all her stickers complete on her stick, Alice is a Hockey Hero!
You can find more about Hockey Heroes and the locations that they do them across the country here.
Disclosure: All views, opinions and photos are my own.
