There’s a lot of value in encouraging your children to play sports. It’s fun, it gets them fit, and it makes a nice change from sitting in front of a screen. And of course, if your kids are going to reach their full potential, then it’s important that you encourage them to be the best that they can be. However, many parents take this too far. You know the ones — they just push a little too much, and in the process, turn the child off the sport. In this blog, we’re going to look at some ways that you can encourage them in a gentle way.
Let Them Choose The Sport
It’s much easier to get involved and enjoy a sport if it’s something that you chose yourself. You might have ambitions of your child playing one particular sport, but it’ll be better for them — and for you — if they chose it themselves. A good way to do this is to let them try out a variety of sports, and see which one they like. There are a million sports out there — they don’t necessarily need to play one of the big ones.
Ask Questions
Nobody likes to be lectured at. Of course, there are many topics where parents should lecture their kids, but when it comes to sport, it’s better to take a different approach. Asking questions about their experience of the sport, including what they think they’re good at, bad at, and how much they’re enjoying the activity, can go a long way. It’ll also ensure that they think a little deeper about their sport. If nothing else, it’ll help to validate the view that this is their thing, rather than something they’re being forced into against their will.
Be Supportive At Games
First of all, you should be at their games. If they’re into the sport, then they’ll appreciate having their parents around to support them. And the key part of this is ‘to support them.’ Criticism is valid at a certain level of playing, but not when they’re children. Then, it should be nothing but supportive. There are many ways to do this. Simple shouting encouragement is enough, but you can also take it further. For example, how about getting custom softball mom t shirts with your child’s name on that front? When they need a dose of encouragement, all they’ll need to do is look over and see you there on the touchlines.
Value Hard Work Over Result
Results aren’t important. Fulfilling potential is. To get there, push them to value hard work at their sport rather than the end result. If they do that correctly, then eventually they’ll get the results anyway.
Celebrate the Victories
Finally, remember to celebrate the victories that your child experiences. You can build them up when they go through a defeat, but it’ll be the successes that they remember for the rest of their lives. Don’t underestimate how important it can be to spend a night honoring their hard work!
