Postgame Confidence in Sports Kids
As you may know, we’ve created a series of audios about how you can build your sports kids’ confidence after a game.
In our second audio, we focus on how to communicate with young athletes after a game.
This can be tricky.
First of all, you want to get them off the confidence roller coaster and stabilize their confidence. Part of that can be communication post-game. Whether young athletes win or lose, parents need to ask the right questions.
Second of all, be sure to tell your kids something positive about the game, whether they were good defenders, great team players, or top communicators. If they don’t want to talk about the game, respect that and move on. If they do want to talk, keep it short. Don’t say things like, “Why did you miss that shot?”
You don’t want kids to dwell on the negative. You want to take a growth-oriented approach. That means trying to talk to them about how to continue growing. What did they learn from their mistakes? Again, if they don’t want to talk, don’t push it.
You want to get them focused on what they did well to carry their confidence from one game or practice to the next. Don’t put them on the confidence roller coaster by focusing on their faults.
Listen to Our Podcast About How to Communicate with Young Athletes After a Game here:
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Related Articles on Youth Sports:
- Pregame and Postgame Tips for Sports Parents
- Helping Young Athletes Cope with Pregame Distractions
- How Sports Parents Should Communicate With Kids [Podcast]
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