Coaching Confidence: Bulldog’s Strategies for Boosting Children’s Self-Esteem
From rugby league to tennis, karate and basketball, sports of all kinds can boost children’s self-esteem which is crucial for their overall wellbeing. Sports have been considered an effective and engaging avenue to contribute to physical health and in building resilience, character, and self-esteem within children, particularly in their early years.
Physical activity can be encouraged from a young age. Start with engaging children in active play, introducing a wide variety of sports and making physical activity an enjoyable experience. This will lay the foundation for a healthy lifestyle and create a positive association with movement. Whilst healthy competition exists, it’s important that this be balanced with enjoyment, learning and fun.
Start by figuring out and learning what sport your child is good at and enjoys. This may take some trial and error before finding the right fit. Remember, they don’t need to be perfect at it, but they need to enjoy it and feel great playing, building a sense of confidence with each training session and game.
As we’ve seen how passionate Bulldogs fans are in actively supporting their team, parents and family members can participate and support children in their sporting endeavours. Attend games, cheer them on and show a genuine interest in their sport. Your involvement sends a powerful message of encouragement and boosts their confidence on and off the field. Within the Bulldogs, players set both individual and team goals within the season. Utilise the same approach with your child to set achievable and realistic goals such as scoring a try in a game or mastering a new skill.
Celebrate the effort your child puts into their sporting activities, emphasising that the principles of practice, improvement and commitment are just as important as winning. Recognising their hard work boosts self-esteem and reinforces that winning and success are not solely determined by outcomes but rather by perseverance.
Similar to how the Bulldogs coaching staff provide constructive feedback on performance, parents can guide children in a supportive and positive manner. Through this approach, you can encourage continuous learning and further boost confidence. Focus on specific aspects of performance, highlighting what they did well and what they could improve on. Bulldogs coaching staff know that all athletes experience self-doubt and work with players on this by identifying these thoughts and countering them with positive affirmations. For example, if your child is saying ‘I can’t’ or ‘I’m not good at this’, it’s important to counter these with encouraging words such as ‘Yes you can, just keep working at it’.
The Bulldogs hold strong values of resilience and sportsmanship on the field which can be translated into the home environment teaching children valuable life skills. At home, demonstrate the importance of fair play and the ability to bounce back from setbacks.
By incorporating these Bulldogs and Young Academics-inspired strategies into your parenting approach, you can actively contribute to boosting your child’s self-esteem through sports.
Sources:
- https://blog.playbook.coach/building-confidence-in-children-through-sports/
- https://truesport.org/respect-accountability/7-ways-help-athlete-confident/
- https://www.mentaltoughnesstrainer.com/confidence-building-tips-kids-sports-part-1/
- https://www.jacksonsawards.com.au/why-participating-in-a-team-sport-could-boost-your-childs-confidence/
- https://www.napcan.org.au/napcan-brochures/
