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Things Parents Can Say and Do at the End of a Sports Season
As your child’s sports season winds down for another year there can be lots of mixed emotions and spare time to manage. However, this is a great time for parents to show support and encouragement for their kids sport End of season mixed emotions can come in many forms. Your child may be elated if they’ve had a successful season both as a team and as an individual, or they there could be some disappointment if they fell short of achieving their goals for the year. In some cases, both you and your child may feel relief that the long, sometimes demanding season of regular training sessions, travel, weekends commitments and possible injuries has come to an end. Whatever the case may be, you need to support your child through this time and help them find new things to enjoy and ways to stay active as you prepare for next season. To help you we have provided some simple tips for things that parents can say and do at the end of a sports season:
Never Show Disappointment Towards Their Sporting Results
If your child did not have the best season or the team didn’t perform as you and your child may have hoped, it’s crucial that you never show any disappointment you may be feeling. Yes, it’s easy to say that junior sports are all about fun and participation, but as the season progresses and you become emotionally involved in the team’s success and your own child’s performance, sometimes these emotions get the better of us. As devoted and caring parents, we must ways monitor our words and actions to ensure we are always encouraging and positive about child’s sporting endeavours.
Talk About The Season
It’s important to talk about your child’s season with them. As young kids, playing sports can become such an important part of our lives. So, when the season is done it’s a great idea to set aside 
some quiet time so see how child is feeling and get their perspective on the season. Here are some questions to help you get started:
- What did you enjoy most about the season?
- Is there anything you wish you could change?
- What did you feel you improved most this season?
- Are there one or two specific skills you’d like to improve upon for next year?
- Are you still enjoying playing this sport or would you like to try something else?
Put Sport Into Perspective
If your child is feeling down about the season’s achievements it’s important to maintain perspective regarding junior sports. Yes, we all want to do well when competing and put time into effort into something. However, sports (especially junior sports) should always be about having fun, making friends and a staying fit and healthy. Putting too much emphasis on results can cause stress, worry and anxiety. Here are some ways you can help offer some perspective.
- Discuss the disappointments and missed opportunities openly and without judgement.
- Focus on the positives of the season. The good results, the lessons learnt, friends made, improvements made and the fun experiences that were enjoyed as a result of playing sport this year.
- Help them see a longer term more broader perspective. Explain that sports are just a small part of life that should be enjoyed. Also remind them that they are young and that there are many opportunities to improve and get better results if they put in hard work and discipline. In 10 years-time this small disappointment could be the launching pad for their future success.
Play Different Sports In The Off Season
This is a great time to get away from whatever your child was playing and try something different. Maybe a new sporting environment where there is no expectation and they can just enjoy themselves is just what they need. Sports Camps offer the perfect way to try new sports to see if your child enjoys them before making any long-term commitments. For more information about upcoming sports camps in your area click here.
Set New Goals
With the previous year behind you it’s time to move forward. Sit down with your child and discuss what they want to achieve next year in regards to their sporting endeavours. Use the lessons from last year to set realistic, achievable goals that focus more on personal development than specific results or rankings.
Create A Plan For Achieving The Goals
To achieve the goals your child has set, they will need an action plan. What training will they need to commit to, what skills will they need to focus on, is there someone who can help them achieve their goals. Having a written plan that your child’s reviews at least weekly will help them stay committed and give them the best chance of success.
Attend A Sports Skills Camp
A great way to improve skills, fitness and overall game knowledge is to attend a specialist sporting camp. Not only will this make your child a better player but it can be some of the best times they will have as a child. Australian Sports Camps have been running holiday skills camp for over 30 years in a range of different sports including:
These camps are a great way to develop skills, and meet new friends from different areas. They have some of the best coaches in Australia as well as specialist skills sessions with professional sports stars from each of the various sports. These tips will help your child physically and mentally decompress and prepare for next year. Though the most important thing is that you make it clear that win, lose or draw your child has your love and support.
