16 Pcs Green Dinosaur Puzzle Play Mat With Fender

Parents play a pivotal role in either positively shaping a child's sport experience or negatively influencing the outcome. Parents need to help their children discover the fun in the activities, why learning the basic fundamentals are important, and how to demonstrate good sportsmanship.

Demonstrating warmth, compassion and being empathically attuned to your child's desires, fears, and frustrations are as necessary as learning the athletic skills.

Participating in organized sports enables a child to derive many positive benefits such as:

Developing new physical skills, strengthening motor skills, and improving coordination.

Experiencing the joy of participation through trying and being a team player.

Working toward attaining mastery, and feeling competent and confident.

Allowing a child to dream.

Learning to handle adversity and accept defeat as no one wins all the time.

Showing respect to authority figures (coaches and referees), being considerate to teammates (as physical, cultural, or religious differences will exist), and displaying honesty (making the right call vs. cheating).

Of course, the parents must first be willing to make the commitment for this responsibility because they are the ones giving their time such as driving to practices, continuing skill development by practicing at home or the park, and attending games, plus money, such as providing equipment, uniforms, league fees, team photos, and refreshments.

Additionally, in these beginning years of athletic skill development, no youngster can always remember their role, the rules, or even successfully execute the required play. Do your part to respond appropriately to their anxious, scared, or angry feelings. For some youngsters, accepting defeat is hard and your child will need help coping with the pain of losing and feeling sad, mad, or discouraged.

According to the National Alliance of Youth Sports https://www.nays.org/ and others, upwards of 35 million children play organized sports; yet by age thirteen approximately 70% drop out. This nonparticipation in sports leads to further concerns such as a greater obesity risk, less well developed interpersonal and social skills, or decreased self-image. There are many developmental reasons a child may drop a sport, such as wanting to trying something different, no longer having fun, not being athletically suited to that sport, or having a bad coaching or team experience. Your attentive listening may prevent your child's premature departure.