Team sports are some of the best activities your kids can take part in. Besides developing athletic abilities, they instill cooperation, goal setting, teach good sportsmanship and build confidence. As a parent, you should be involved with your kids’ athletic endeavors. Doing so can help them succeed and feel better about their own performance.
Your Child is More Likely to Be Successful
Physical activity is an important part of a child’s education and development. As this elementary school explains, daily PE and sports teaches children sportsmanship, helps them develop coordination, and gives them of a sense of fair play. Your child being successful in a sport doesn’t merely mean winning games or scoring goals. While those objectives are worthwhile, what matters the most with children is whether or not they’re enjoying themselves. Knowing that someone is rooting for them can do wonders for children’s confidence on the field. When they’re more self-assured, they can perform so much better. Belief in themselves can carry kids a long way.
You Support Their Mental & Emotional Health
Playing sports can be a way for youngsters to unwind, but the activity can also be very demanding. This is especially true if you’re parenting a teenager. Adolescence is a turbulent time, and a teen’s mental health is especially vulnerable during this period. This page has a list of additional teenage mental health references and resources for more advice. When a parent is involved, a teen can feel as though there’s far more endorsement for them. You’re aware of how much you care about your teen, but it never hurts to demonstrate it. Be sure to discuss mental health issues with your son or daughter in an understanding manner that gives them plenty of room to speak and share their thoughts.
You Establish a Closer Bond
This parenting blog says that if you want to connect with your kids, you need to be involved with their interests. Your opinion does matter to them, and they’ll feel better if they see that you’re enthusiastic about their pursuits. Even if you don’t know much about their sport or their specific experiences, ask them questions that will let them discuss things openly. You can create a strong dialogue between the two of you, and your child will be more excited about his or her athletic career and hopes for the future.
Being involved with your kids’ sports doesn’t mean you should be overbearing or combative with their coaches or other parents. Even if your youngster doesn’t go on to pursue an athletic career, he or she can still look back on this time with fondness, not only for how it helped build personal skills, but also because it brought you two closer together.