How do you motivate a lazy child in sports?
Your child has been into sports for a while and might have been doing well, but now it seems as though he has become lazy towards it. How do you set out to motivate a child that is seemingly lazy towards sports now?
This happens typically in older athletes and requires mental toughness before it can be overcome. However, what do you do for younger children? You can’t expect them to continue working hard without motivation.
So how do you motivate a lazy child in sports? First of all, you need to drum the importance of sports to your child and the benefits they stand to get when they engage in it. Let them have the list of games available to choose from. Most times, when they are the ones who choose the sports they’re interested in, they tend to enjoy it more. And when your child has finally made a choice, you can make it fun for them. Here are a few methods to motivate your lazy child in sports.
Guidelines to motivating your lazy child in sports
Let them choose the sport of their choice
Offer your child the opportunity to pick from several sports options. You can make a list of sports that involves being on a large team, a small group, and also includes individual sports as well.
By leaving your child with the opportunity to pick a sport of his choice, he has the liberties to think of sports that you both would not have even considered at all.
The best way to go about the selection process is to give them a deadline where your child would have picked the top five sports he would love to engage in. You can subsequently streamline it to two options or one.
In the time he had taken to contemplate the sport choices, your child would have already spent that time imagining himself playing every sport on that list. By the time he settles on his final decision, he will be enthusiastic about starting playing as he would have already seen himself playing the sport.
Some sports that could be included in your list include soccer, basketball, baseball, volleyball, hockey, football, swimming, gymnastics, lacrosse, martial arts, wrestling, tennis, golf, amongst others.
Find out your child’s passion
If you want to motivate your lazy child in sports, then you need first to find out what they are passionate about. This requires a keen eye from you, the parent.
- If you observe that your child likes playing in a large group, then you may have to look for larger team sports.
- On the other hand, your child is one that identifies with small groups or doesn’t like keeping company with people; you could consider registering him for a smaller team sport or look for individual sports where he can excel as an individual.
- Does your child loves running around with friends or enjoys cycling with friends? You may present your child with sports that involve endurance.
- Oversee your child and look for clues that will help you steer your child in the right direction.
Another way is to give your child a list of sports to choose from, as mentioned above. When your child streamlines his sport choices to a few, you can ask him why the chosen sport interests him. He should try and explain in detail why he has identified those sports. The answers gotten from these questions will help you know where the pure passion of your child lies.
Let your child know what winning and losing truly means
In times past, the thoughts which were taught to kids was that winning is a must and that it was not okay to fail. Nowadays, it is expected for participants to be humble in victory or defeat.
Teach your child good sportsmanship, which involves being respectful to your team, opponents, coach, and other officials regardless of who wins or loses.
Victory or winning in sports should be viewed as how one’s development is as an individual. Children should be taught that winning is more than just coming first in a competition. Instead, partaking in a sport and experiencing personal growth shows you are winning and already moving forward.
Provide support to your child – Not Obstacles
Be involved in your child’s sports journey, not just to teach skills but to have fun. You don’t have to be there always, dishing advice and showing him how to make some sport moves. Leave that for his coach to do. For it has been observed that there is every tendency for parents to smother their children in sports.
A child should be left to his instincts in sports and be allowed to make trials and errors with encouragement on the side. When a parent is continuously smothering his child with constant guidance and critique, there is every tendency for the child’s instinct to shut down.
You should, however, provide support and encouragement for your child in their chosen sport. You should cheer them on and encourage them regularly. This is one ingredient your child needs to succeed- parental support.
Create Excitement for your Child
Children love anything that brings excitement to them. Get your child excited about the sport they’ve chosen. You could even get some equipment associated with the sport at home with your child taking the lead in picking it out.
Take out time for you and the child to get started with the sporting activity. Think of some fun games or activities that can be done in your backyard to introduce the sport to your child.
If you are not knowledgable about the sport, you can ask a friend to come over and show your child the basics.
Support your child’s decision, and if you can be a participant, involve yourself and partake in a game with your child.
Have your Child Set Goals and Encourage Your Child to Compete with Self
Teach your child to have a habit of setting personal goals. They can watch others who are higher up in the field so they can get some excitement about having better skills. There are many goals your child can set for themselves. Let your child’s imagination have the ambition to create a list of goals they will be able to attain.
Your child should know from the beginning that the primary reason for involving in sports is for personal growth. When your child sets goals for himself, they can stand as measuring sticks to mark their improvement along the way.
Set Rewards for your child
You must set up a reward program for your child and have him be in charge of what the rewards are and how they will be applied.
When your child is involved in the rewards program, this will ensure your child participates fully in the sports. Some examples of fun rewards for your child include:
- Taking your child to their favorite restaurant when they’ve achieved an admirable goal.
- Buying a new set of sport equipment
And many others……..
Having fun is life and in sports, especially is what sport is all about. Encourage your child to participate in a given sport and let them know how much fun it can be.
When they are having fun, laziness will run. Encourage your child to enjoy the whole process of learning and improvement.
Youth Sports Sites
How do you motivate an unmotivated athlete?
Observe your child and evaluate what makes them smile, and what inspires them. Notice how they respond to criticism or encouragement. Evaluate if they like to be left alone or do they need constant feedback.
How do you motivate a lazy soccer player?
Identify the motivating factors of each athlete. You must convey the joy that comes from scoring a goal, making the varsity team or getting a college scholarship.
How do athletes gain intrinsic motivation?
You gain intrinsic or internally driven motivation by defining your why. You must know the reason why you want to be great.
How do you motivate a player to work hard?
You can motivate your players to work hard by highlighting the benefits of their efforts. The benefits could be more playing time, more exposure on the internet, popularity or a collegiate scholarship.