Unfortunately, when it comes to children who love to play sports, many parents can go overboard trying to encourage their children. Allowing a child to fall in love with a game they enjoy playing should be their first consideration, and instead of that we often see parents who seem to be planning their entire college scholarship ahead of this.

Helping develop your child’s natural interest in sports could potentially help them follow a path of challenge and discipline that helps them develop, but that also teaches them teamwork and how to offer good sportsmanship. How do you toe the balancing line between being very encouraging and pushy, or how do you avoid the inclination to wrap them up in cotton wool, particularly if they seem to be interested in contact sports or martial arts?

The following advice is geared towards parents who may not have the most sporting experience themselves, but who would love to help out. With the following advice, you’ll be sure to do that:

Teach Them A Love For The Game

Any game, whatever it is, has its winners and losers. Your child will win. They will also lose. It’s essential that they are taught this. Teaching them a love for the game can help override the issues and worries that take place throughout their experience of it. This means taking them to professional games, gifting them the equipment to learn, perhaps taking them to training sessions or after-school training options. Allowing them to start tryouts for the team, or simply allowing them to play in the back garden using DD’s Landscaping synthetic grass to ensure the sliding and tackling doesn’t damage your backyard can help. If they’re not having fun, they’re not involved in the game as they should be.

Show Up To The Games

Football/soccer may be the most boring thing in the world to you. While this is not something many would agree with, others might suggest that yes, any game which can end in a 0/0 tie is perhaps not the most riveting sport. However, even if you think that way, showing up to the games your child plays in is essential. Support them. Encourage them. Get involved. If you do not have a love for the game, still head to the games with them. Learn the names of their favorite team members. Ask them about it. Get involved. It’s your child, after all, and you never know just how much you may bond over this, even if it’s geeking out over a sticker book collection.

Allow Them To Grow Through It

A sport is not a healthy pursuit if winning is the only goal. Caring for fair play, staying dedicated, being graceful in defeat and humble in victory, displaying teamwork, staying positive, all of this suggests a better understanding of what is important. Teach these values to your child. Even if they are not the best player on their school team (something they should be encouraged towards through belief, of course) they win something far greater.

With this advice, you’re certain to develop your child’s natural interest in sports.