Boost your kids’ athletic excitement and skill so that they will love the game and love themselves.
Whether your children have recently joined a sports team or have been practicing the sport for a few years now, you can always find ways to better support them in their field. Below are three tips for boosting your kids’ athletic excitement and skill.
Your children may start out loving their activity or sport, but soon become frustrated when they hit a physical wall. Whether it's baseball or ballet, there will be difficulties that require practice. This will include finding out what it means to fail. Remind your children to persevere past these plateaus. After some hard work and sweat, they can break through these walls and you can celebrate their achievements with them.
Make sure to listen to their frustrations and validate their fears or concerns. You do not need to solve the problems right away. Just listening will help them feel understood and give them the confidence to get back out and try again. Ask them how you can help. Sometimes they just need a cheerleader on their side to support them. Sometimes they need a hug and a shoulder to cry on. Most of the time, they will tell you what they need if you ask.
Focusing only on their athletic career can place unnecessary pressure and stress on your children to perform, causing them to burn out quickly. Make sure they have time to see friends outside of their practices or classes, attend school events, participate in extracurricular activities, and even try their hand at another sport if they want.
Growing well-balanced children with their own personal identity will help them remember how much fun they have in their activity of choice rather than concern themselves too heavily with medals and improvement. They are much more likely to stick with the sport if they feel it is their choice to practice.
Talk with other parents and plan out get-togethers for the children outside of practice. Host a pool party or a sleepover. Take them out for ice cream after practice. You will give your kids a chance to become closer friends with their teammates, making memories on and off of the field, which will help them continue to love the sport and feel known and supported.