Creating the Best Sports Experience

Parents Control The Experience:  6 Tips to Creating the Best Sports Experience for Your Child

The world of youth sports can seem like a jungle and be extremely difficult to navigate.
There are parents, coaches, and players with competing interest, often on the same TEAM.
The experience belongs to the child your role is to support, encourage, and protect them.
How is this experience beneficial to your kid, how can you as a parent insure your child has the best sports experience possible and the the lessons learned promote personal growth and your family values.
The answer starts with you the parent, be mindful of your child’s experience.
Being aware of your actions ,reactions, conversations. Always understanding our children are looking at us
Check-in regularly with your child about how he or she is feeling about the experience
The child should feel supported and encouraged by you. The conversation can start with these
questions.
What are your dreams? Desires? What do you hope to accomplish in the sport?
What are you expecting to get out of the program (generally/long term)?
What are your expectations of yourself (generally/long term)?
What is it that you’re excited about this upcoming week?
What are you worried about?
What is the source of fear?
What are you expecting to get out of the week?
What is known/what can they predict?
What is uncertain for you this week?

The best sports experience for your child starts at home, in a space where your child is free to
express himself or herself without judgment, with trust and acceptance. The best way to do that is take heed to these tips:

• Make sure your child knows you love them for who they are, not what they do.
• Not conditioned by fear instead encouraged to grow without limitation.
• Teach by reflection instead of rules.
  • Let them know very honestly when disappointed, angry, or hurt.
• Encourage their dreams – trust their own desires.
• Falling down is not the same as failing.
• Ask your child – where are you?
  • Measuring progress towards goal.
    • How far do you think you’ve gotten?
    • Close to what you want to achieve?
      • If not, why not?
    • What is holding you back – present challenge or lesson?
      • Where are we as a family?
  • Talk about a choice child made that day.
    • How did you feel about that?
    • What did you think would happen?