Sometimes as a parent, or fan, it can be difficult to be on the sidelines. But it can also be a lot of fun and you can help the team. The next time you are at a game, have a great time by supporting the entire team and encouraging teamwork. Here are three easy things that you can do to help create a positive team atmosphere from the sidelines.
Support The Entire Team
When it comes time to cheer during a game remember that your child (or the child who you are watching), is not the only player on the court or playing field. Depending on the sport, there are several more players out there so make sure to cheer for them too. Encourage teamwork by being a team player yourself.
Make the extra effort to learn the names of all the players on your child’s team. Cheering for everyone can make a huge difference for the young athletes themselves and the team dynamics. If parents work to broaden their thinking, and cheer for all of the players, they will see that their support can affect the team and strengthen team mentality.
Cheer For Teamwork and Skills, Not Just Scoring
If a player hears several parents congratulate them on a nice assist, they will feel good about it and be inspired to help their teammates with more assists. If a player hears clapping and cheering after they play tough defense or get a steal, they will be encouraged to work on all parts of their game.
Some parents only cheer when points are scored, but there is a lot that happens, before and after points are scored, that is worth cheering for. The next time that you are cheering at your child’s game think about all of the things that happen on the court or playing field besides scoring, and cheer for that.
Sweet pass, great hustle, tough defense, nice screen, great job getting to the ball, good steal, great rebound, super stop, nice play, keep up the pressure, awesome catch, super block, nice work out there, good dig, way to get back, sweet set, you get the idea. When you recognize good teamwork happening, make it known.
And as you learn all of the players’ names, make sure to add them in. Sweet pass Allison. Nice work out there Michael. And of course, you can cheer when a player scores, just make sure you cheer for all of the players who score, not just your child.
Keep It Positive
When you are watching your child’s game look for all the good things that happen. There will be mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, even the pros. So it is important to make the effort to focus on the positive. The coach will work on the mistakes at the next practice. Game time is the time to keep things positive and help keep the players confidence up.
Say positive things and keep the energy and tone positive. This is not always easy when a team is struggling, but it is the time when they need your positive energy the most. Even when a team is losing, you can find positive things to cheer for if you make the effort. And when the game is over, give the entire team your support. A simple congrats or a high-five is nice but pointing out a specific effort that each child made during the game is even better.
So when you’re at your child’s next game, why not see what you can do on the sidelines to help encourage teamwork and make the game more fun for you and the team.
