La iniciación deportiva en el atletismo para niños de 10 a 12 años: Un enfoque pedagógico

Sports initiation in athletics represents a fundamental stage in the physical, motor, and social development of children aged 10 to 12 years. During these ages, children experience important biological and psychological changes that favor the learning of coordinative and technical skills related to athletic events. The objective of this study was to analyze the importance of sports initiation in athletics and its influence on the integral development of children aged 10 to 12 years. The research was carried out through a descriptive bibliographic review using scientific articles, theses, and academic documents obtained from databases such as Scielo, Dialnet, Google Scholar, and Redalyc. The findings indicate that systematic and progressive athletics practice improves physical abilities such as speed, coordination, endurance, balance, and agility, while also strengthening values such as discipline, responsibility, and teamwork. Likewise, playful methodologies adapted to the participants’ age increase motivation and continuity in sports practice. It is concluded that athletics initiation is an important educational and formative tool for child development when applied through adequate pedagogical planning that respects children's developmental characteristics.