Why Your Child Plays Sports
Children have their own reasons for participating in sports and physical activities but coaches and parents are not always in harmony with their motives. Children commonly play sports:
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to have fun
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to experience thrills
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to be with friends or make new friends
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to do something they are good at
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to feel good about themselves
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to feel accepted
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to improve and learn new skills.
Before you sign up or involve your child in a sport or activity, take time to talk to your child about his or her interests. Children are far more likely to continue in the activity if they are satisfying their own motives and have the support of their parents. They are also more likely to want to achieve excellence in competition for the same reasons.
Why Parents Encourage Sport
Parents often have their own reasons for seeing their children in sports, and problems arise when their motives conflict with those of their son or daughter. The result can be a very negative sporting experience for the child.
Some of the most common problems arise when parents:
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place too much emphasis on winning
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push their children to specialize in one sport too early
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live their own dreams through their children
The ideal situation is when your child finds intrinsic reward in participating in the activity – otherwise known as FUN! When the emphasis shifts towards external rewards from parents (extrinsic motives) or being “pushed” to participate, children are far less likely to enjoy and continue in the activity and they become more susceptible to burnout and dropout.
Figure 2 shows how children respond to their parents’ level of involvement in their sport or activity. In the optimal zone of parent involvement, parents are reactive, active and proactive in their children’s activity. By contrast, “inactive” parents (those who make no effort to be involved) and hyperactive parents tend to reduce their children’s enthusiasm.