With the current digital era, parents find themselves between a rock and a hard place as they struggle to motivate their kids to participate in real games. Kids have been addicted to computer games, and as a parent, it might be worrying since your kid might lack the motivation to play with other kids in an actual soccer match. Well, football requires team spirit, and with that said, your kid should develop some interest as you endeavor to encourage them to play. With obesity on the rise in America, parents need to take proactive measures to ensure that their kids exercise regularly. Here is a guide that will help you as you strive to motivate your kid to play football.
Support Your Kid
Despite your kid’s decision, always show support and never demoralize them. Football might not be the ideal sport that you pictured your kid playing, but now that they like the game, you should support them. If you force a game onto a child, they might end up being bored, and you wouldn’t like the outcome. Bottom line, if your kid fancies football, encourage him/her all the way.
Watch and Read
Rent some football movies, get some books, surf the internet for football content, and share it with your kid. Kids tend to be interested in what they are familiar with, and you can try exposing them to football news where they can read football rumors, and they get a chance to meet football icons. As your kid familiarizes with the content they read on the internet or in magazines, it might prick their interest to either continue or begin playing football.
Play with Them
As per Alan Varela playing with your kids involves more than just teaching them skills; you should have fun as you play with your kid. Don’t be a strict parent when coaching your kid; once in a while, kick the ball or tackle your kid. Have an aggressive game and be silly once in a while; this way, they will perceive football to be a fun game.
Listen to Them
Learn to listen to what your kid says and encourage them to play the spots that they enjoy. Football can be a great game if you are involved in the game. Furthermore, your kid will appreciate that you listen to them; therefore, he/she will enjoy playing.
Mistakes
Your kid will make mistakes when playing, and when it happens, don’t create a big fuss out of it. Instead, it would help if you encouraged them to improve and use the mistake as a learning point. You might be amused that teaching your kid to learn from errors could have a positive impact on his school work.
Team Effort
It might be helpful for your kid if they are keen on sports and have achievable and realistic goals that will motivate them as they enjoy the game. Football involves uniting together as a team and developing a team spirit to get the desired results. By emphasizing this point to your kid, and it might encourage them to show some interest and be involved in the game.
Make Football a Family Event
As earlier stated, you need to encourage your kid to play football. To do so, you should have plans every once in a while where the entire family plays football. Invite the whole family along with family friends to make the game more fun.
Be a Bit Reserved
Showing support to your kid is essential for their self-esteem. However, it would help if you weren’t too involved in all of your kid’s games. Providing technical feedback to your kid might discourage him/her, and they might feel that they have let you down. The coach has their role to play, therefore, let them play their part, and you can watch on the sidelines and offer moral support. Before you advise your kid on football matters, have a word with the coach and ensure that you don’t give misleading advice.
Know Your Kids Limits
Every child has their level and span of physical activity, which their body will handle. Try not to push your kid too frequently or too hard since this might demoralize your kid. Extracurricular activities shouldn’t consume all of your kid’s free time; try other sports or hobbies and not be fixed on football alone.
As a parent or guardian, it’s your responsibility to offer your kids plenty of opportunities, considering that you want the best for them. Kids have different interests, and some parents make the mistake of forcing a hobby onto a kid. Well, that’s uncalled for, and you should consider encouraging your kid to be the best that they can be. Try implementing the above steps to motivate your kid to love football; in case they don’t appreciate the spot, you can try a different hobby.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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