Could your child be Britain's next big hope for the Wimbledon tennis championships? Hilary Pereira explains how to nurture a budding sports superstar

Eleven-year-old Carly Booth from Perthshire in Scotland plays golf off a handicap of four and has ladies' champion titles at three Scottish golf clubs.

She recently became the youngest player ever to be chosen for the Perth & Kinross women's county golf team, and has also won swimming titles in Stirlingshire and a place in the Scottish gymnastics squad. Carly has natural sporting talent, which has been encouraged by her family: her father (a former wrestling champion) built a 14-hole golf course for Carly and her older brother on his 100-acre farm near Gleneagles after buying the property 15 years ago.

Carly has been playing serious golf since she was seven years old, but how young should parents reasonably start to nurture an obvious natural sporting flair?

Encouragement without pressure
It's never too young to encourage a child in any pursuit that interests them, but the important thing is to recognise the difference between encouragement and pressure. Encouragement means letting them go at their own pace until they find their feet, then gently helping them set attainable goals. If your child has a particular aptitude for a sport, you'll probably find that they really take off with it, but if they seem reticent, don't push them too hard. If, at any time, you find yourself getting inwardly irritated or annoyed with your child because he or she hasn't achieved what you were hoping for, you're applying pressure, which is not a good thing and can end up making your child feel discouraged and inadequate. 'Young people should take part in a wide range of sports and activities for as long as possible, and they should not specialise in any one sport too early,' says the Youth Sport Trust's Sport Director, Andy Martin. 'As a parent, you play an important role in promoting your child's happiness and individual success in sport. Your expectations have a significant bearing on your child's attitude. Positive encouragement from you will also contribute to your child's enjoyment of sport.'

Remember, too, that children under seven often lack co-ordination and dexterity skills, and simply may not be able to hold a mini golf club or tennis racquet correctly. In their younger years, it's better to encourage the skills of dexterity, footwork and accuracy through games and toys such as yo-yos, Swingball, ten-pin bowling and hopscotch, than to set them up to fail by trying to coach them in actual sports before they are physically ready. Of course, if your three-year-old can swing a mini nine-iron with ease, you'll be cramping his style if you try and stop him - but he'll definitely be in the minority as far as ability goes.

Many parents subconsciously try to achieve goals that they missed out on in their own childhood through their children. It's a natural response, and most would assert that they are only wanting 'what's best' for their kids. But just because a child shares your and your partner's gene pool, it doesn't necessarily follow that he'll inherit aptitudes or interests from either of you. Aim, instead, to provide your child with as many learning opportunities and experiences as possible so that you can then identify what he's most keen on, and build on that.

Where to start
Your child can get a grip on the basics of hand-eye co-ordination, turn-taking and basic ball control - all of which are likely to figure in whatever sport he shows an aptitude for - from early on. Even babies who are able to sit up unsupported can take turns rolling a ball back and forth.

You can help build confidence and strength by:

• taking your baby swimming (when he's had his first three immunisations). Look for a mother-and-baby swimming class in your local area by asking at the sports centre, library, pool or checking in the Yellow Pages
• joining a mini gym group such as Gymbabes, Tumble Tots or Gymbobs
• finding out about local sports activities: the organisation Sport England has just launched a new website called ActivePlaces, where you can search for sport and fitness facilities in your local area

Once your child is around age three, you'll probably find that there are other sports sessions he can join in with: some leisure centres offer basketball or football coaching for different age ranges; racquet clubs tend to offer basic skills training from around this age, too.

The key is to go at your child's pace, stretching him a little bit once he's gained confidence in his ability at each level. If your child starts to seem uneasy or lose interest, take the level back down until he's more comfortable, and wait for him to want to progress. It's natural for most children to want to achieve more and more - particularly those who go on to become great at sports. 'The degree of support you can give may vary from consoling a child who is not selected for a school team to accompanying him or her to the national finals of a competition,' comments Andy Martin, 'or from transporting your child week in, week out to training sessions, to helping raise funds for the club.'

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