For Kids to Enjoy the Benefits of Sports, They Must Remain a Game |
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"Unfortunately the value and meaning of play are poorly understood in our hurried society. What happened to adults in our society has now happened to children. Play has been transformed into work. What was once recreational - sports, summer camp, musical training - is now professional..." ~ David Elkind, Psychologist
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Play Like a Champion believes that all children have a right to play. In fact, when we asked kids what they want out of the youth sports experience, nearly everyone indicated that play was at the top of the list!
Remember this study from our Parent Like a Champion Workshop?
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When asked, kids make it clear that having fun is the top priority, but that's followed by other elements of authentic play: to improve skills, for the excitement and challenge of competition, and even to get exercise. Note that while winning makes the list, it still finishes much lower than these other areas of interest. Unfortunately, as a society we've created a world of sports that looks and feels much more like work than play. That has resulted in over 70% of children dropping out of sports all-together by the age of 13. When it's no longer play, the children aren't all that interested in participating.
So what can we do as parents to keep "play" at the center of our child's youth sports experience? First, make it clear that these are your expectations. Youth coaches in particular often create environments that exclude play as a response to parent demands to win. Make sure your coaches know that you want your child to experience the game as it was meant to be played. Remember that play in itself is a virtue: neither children nor adults can handle the rigors of school, work and life without taking time to experience leisure. Play is meant to be a fun escape from the stresses of our day, which allows us to rejuvenate and perform better in all parts of life. In the video below, Fr. Patrick Kelly expands on this idea of play as a virtue, relaying the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas, reflecting on the history of play and noting the issues with our approach today.
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Parents can also emphasize the play aspect of sport by being intentional about how you discuss sports with your kids. When approaching a practice or game, are you encouraging them to have fun and enjoy the experience? During games, do you cheer positively from the stands and encourage a fun atmosphere? Afterwards, do you focus more on how they performed or whether or not they enjoyed it? Focusing on process over performance is a key component of healthy athlete development. Sports are certainly an environment where kids can grow and develop in a number of skills, but it's important to remember that kids perform much better when they are enjoying the game; they put forth more effort and can more easily achieve peak performance.
When sports remain "play" the experience is better for everyone. Coaches find that they get more out of their team, parents have more fun watching their kids participate, and the athletes more clearly enjoy what they're doing. Let's work together to make sure that sports everywhere remain focused on play. After all, the're called "games" for a reason!
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Parents have a grave responsibility to give good example to their children.
~ Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraph 2223
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A Prayer for Sports Parents |
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Lord, help my child to grow in humility and service through their sports experience. Help him (her) to be a good sport as he plays. May he always encourage others with a kind word and help others up when they fall. Help him to use his talents to bring you glory and to lead others closer to you. May he be gracious in defeat and humble in victory, always putting the good of others and the team ahead of himself. And help me as a parent to model this humility and service, that I may teach him how to set this example on his team. I ask this through Christ, our Lord, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us on the cross. Amen. |
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Play Like a Champion's "Daily Prayers for Champions" page has been updated! Visit www.playlikeachampion.org/daily-prayers for more than 200 prayers plus resources that can help you and your team grow closer to God while participating in sports.
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Play Like a Champion Today Educational Series
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