Many valuable benefits will help your child engage in sports, including teaching them a team mindset and how to cooperate with others. However, keeping them engaged in sports can be a challenge for you as a parent. If you push them too hard, they may experience burnout with the sport. Yet, you also want to be supportive and inspiring. These tips can help you find a good level of interest to ensure your child’s continued participation in sports.
Get Involved
You can help yourself as you encourage your child by getting involved in sports yourself. This is an opportunity to lead by example, providing a way for you and your child to share something special between you. This can involve picking a sport that you can enjoy together or offering to help your child practice in a sport that they have started in school.
As you play together, you can help your child improve their skills and abilities. Since children tend to compare themselves to one another, helping your child improve through practice will also give them a boost of confidence. However you go about participating, the exercise will do you good, and you’ll have fun together.
Show Some School Pride
You’ll also keep your child interested in sports by showing a little team spirit. If possible, get some paraphernalia that features the school’s colors and mascot. Most schools sell these types of clothing and accessories to help them raise money for their teams.
If your school doesn’t sell items, try ordering a custom basketball jersey or similar personalized apparel online. Your child will feel energized by your support and sense of spirit for their team. You can also order a few things together to bring some of that school spirit home. For example, you can each get a customized drinking mug to keep the school spirit alive at home.
Don’t Push Too Hard
There is such a thing as getting too invested in your child’s participation in sports. If you’re consistently pushing them to do better or work harder, playing on a sports team will begin to feel like a chore. While your heart may be in the right place, imagine how you would feel in their place.
You would soon feel burned out and would look for less constructive ways to expend your energy. While you want to encourage your child to practice, try to let them decide when they will practice. Remember that your child will perform better when they have fun with the sport they’re playing.
Watch Sports Together
Watching sports can be just as inspiring and energizing as playing on a team. You can watch games at home or make it a weekly outing to attend a college game in your community.
Additionally, pick out sports-themed movies that feature athletes struggling to become the best in their sport. Some films focus on almost any sport, which means you can probably find one that deals with the sport that interests your child. Watching together can help you both enjoy the sport and get more out of it while gently pushing your child to get more involved in athletics.
They will want to experience the same adrenaline rush that they see their favorite professional players experiencing.
Encourage Variety
You can keep your child interested in sports by accepting that they may not stick with the same sport throughout their lives. While they may enjoy soccer in elementary school, they may lose interest in it when they reach high school. If they decide they want to try out for the football or wrestling team, don’t force them to continue playing soccer.
They can get the same benefits from other sports, and participating in various activities will help them develop a better-defined physique. It will allow them to exercise and strengthen different muscle groups throughout their body. Additionally, trying something new will help keep physical activity fun and interesting for them.
Eventually, your child will find that they enjoy the experiences and friendships that they develop in sports. This can be enough to keep them motivated and interested, but they will still need your support. When you take the time to support their participation in sports, your children will feel encouraged in athletics.
