Teaching Children Sports Motivation
Sports motivation is something that should be instilled in children from the time they are born practically. With childhood obesity on the rise, children must learn from an early age that being involved in a sports team or just playing sports with the kids in the neighborhood will keep them healthy and feeling great about their bodies.
There are many ways to instill sports motivation in children that start as young as six months and follow them right into adulthood.
The desire to play sports starts very young with children. At six months you can begin by playing ball with your child. It is a simple activity that will allow them to hold, touch, and feel the ball. It is then that they start to develop the need for sports, whether competitive or not.
Children learn by having fun, so the more fun you have, the more they will develop sports motivation. The ball should be small enough for them to grip their hands around and large enough so that they do not eat it. Encourage them to roll the ball to you. After they grow older you can start throwing or even kicking the ball.
When they get into the toddler ages, start teaching them to catch. It takes a great deal of patience, but they will eventually learn how to do it. Don’t get discouraged that they are not able to catch up yet, because you are trying to motivate them which means staying positive and assured that one day they will do it. Don’t let them get down, and certainly, do not let them quit. It will happen, it just may take time.
A major factor of sports motivation includes praise. While some parents praise which leads to a false sense of accomplishment, you can rarely praise so much that this actually happens. Praise them in a way that makes them feel proud of themselves. Say things like “You caught it! Good job, you must be so proud of yourself.” This teaches them to look at their own self for motivation and a sense of accomplishment.
Do not tell them that they did a great job if they struck out while trying to bat the ball. Simply tell them that they tried really hard. Assure them that with practice they can do better and help encourage them so that they motivate themselves. This is what makes perfect sports motivation.
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