According to research, children are embarrassed when a teammate is singled out with loud cheering, they want their parents to cheer for the entire team. Also, when asked about parental sideline coaching kids said they feel like a remote-controlled toy, thinking that their parents don’t think they can figure out the game on their own.
Kids also pick up on the cheer of “Come on, you got this” or other cheers that are meant to be positive but start with “come on,” like they should already be doing it, or they aren’t working hard enough already.
Remember, it’s the coach’s job to motivate, train and teach discipline and the parents’ job to model enjoyment in watching their children play. This is true even in D-1 college sports, where kids say they love hearing their parents say they love watching them play. If your kid does ask questions, provide guidance and listen and point your kids in the right direction, but don’t get too specific in instructions and coaching.
The goal of youth sports is to grow better people and teach them to build strong relationships, to be good sports and to extend themselves physically. If you keep that in mind as you watch your children, then everything else will fall into place.
Tips on how to best cheer for your child
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