Positive sports parents – videos for parents

These short clips for parents look at how they can help young people play and achieve to the best of their ability. They're excerpts from a longer interview with Dr Camilla Knight titled 'Positive sports parents – valuing their contribution'.

Messages for parents of young athletes

Key points

• to best be involved in your child’s sporting life, talk to your child
• understand why they’re participating
• let them know why you want them to enjoy sport
• work out shared goals, which will lead to a shared understanding about what their sport means to them
• through positive practices, talk to your child about how they feel about your involvement

The role of parents in supporting children and young people in sport

Key points

• parents play a critical role in the early stages of a child becoming a young athlete but the impact is felt throughout their sporting career 
• parents provide key emotional support – especially in learning how to deal with winning and losing
• children model their behaviour on their parents, learning to enjoy participating in sport and what makes a good sportsperson
• likewise, young people’s behaviour as spectators is based on how their parents react at competitions
• parents also actively help children understand what it means to participate in sport and respond in different situations

The importance of parents in sport

Key points

• it's too easy to think of negative media stories about over-involved parents
• 'pushy parents' are only a minority of parents
• some parents worry about this negative image – so they're not sure how they should support their children
• it's important that they fulfil their critical role in a young athlete’s life