{"id":2470,"date":"2014-12-11T17:22:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-11T17:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=2470"},"modified":"2025-07-21T04:59:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T08:59:02","slug":"tips-to-boost-kids-confidence-in-sports-and-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-boost-kids-confidence-in-sports-and-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips To Boost Kids\u2019 Confidence In Sports And Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3794\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/helping-young-athletes-overcome-fear-of-failure.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/helping-young-athletes-overcome-fear-of-failure.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/helping-young-athletes-overcome-fear-of-failure-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Social_Approval_in_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Social Approval in Youth Sports<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-boost-kids-confidence-in-sports-and-life\/#Social_Approval_in_Youth_Sports\" >Social Approval in Youth Sports<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-boost-kids-confidence-in-sports-and-life\/#Heres_what_we_suggest_for_kids_who_worry_too_much_about_what_other_kids_think\" >Here\u2019s what we suggest for kids who worry too much about what other kids think.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-boost-kids-confidence-in-sports-and-life\/#Related_Articles_on_Youth_Sports\" >Related Articles on Youth Sports:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-boost-kids-confidence-in-sports-and-life\/#Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\" >Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>What your kids learn in sports often transfers to other areas of their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take <strong>confidence<\/strong>, for example. If kids learn how to feel <strong>confident<\/strong> in <strong>youth sports&#8211;meaning,<\/strong> if they know how to identify and address <strong>confidence<\/strong> busters&#8211;this often means higher <strong>confidence<\/strong> in other areas of their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Say, for instance, your sports kids worry about what others think of them. This, of course, is a common worry. But if they can learn how to tackle this in sports, they can learn how to address it in other areas of their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Heres_what_we_suggest_for_kids_who_worry_too_much_about_what_other_kids_think\"><\/span>Here\u2019s what we suggest for kids who worry too much about what other kids think.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>First of all, help them understand this worry. Some kids are anxious, but don\u2019t know exactly why. Understanding the source of their worries is part of the battle<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once they recognize that they worry about what friends or teammates think of them or their performance, they need to shift their <strong>focus<\/strong> to something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They should <strong>focus<\/strong> on the process of playing sports&#8211;not on the score, win or what other people may think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, soccer players might decide to concentrate on getting open for the next pass. Or they might <strong>focus<\/strong> on playing good defense. Or communicating well with teammates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once they take the <strong>focus<\/strong> off their worries, and <strong>concentrate<\/strong> on the process, they\u2019re likely to enjoy sports more, have more fun, and improve. And that boosts their <strong>confidence!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s more, they\u2019ve learned how they might deal with worries about what others think of them in other areas of their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are numerous <strong>confidence<\/strong> busters in sports, all of which apply to non-sports activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Young athletes sink their <strong>confidence<\/strong> by being <strong>perfectionists<\/strong>, by having <strong>high expectations,<\/strong> by being afraid to fail, and by calling themselves negative names, to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next week we&#8217;ll begin to help you and your athletes address the top <strong>confidence killers<\/strong>&#8211;in a new podcast series for young athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve got a great program for you and your young athletes that will help them boost their <strong>confidence<\/strong> in sports\u2014and life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out our program, \u201c<a title=\"The Confident Sports Kid\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-sports-kid-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Confident Sports Kid<\/a>,\u201d here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-sports-kid-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" title=\"The Confident Sports Kid\">The Confident Sports Kid Workbook Program<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s two programs in one, and includes a manual for parents and coaches, plus a separate workbook for young athletes. You\u2019ll learn all about the things that bust kids\u2019 <strong>confidence,<\/strong> and what you can do to deal with these confidence busters- high expectations, doubt, and worries about what others think- to name just a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related-articles-on-hockey-mental-game\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Articles_on_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Related Articles on Youth Sports:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-kids-identities-shouldnt-be-all-about-sports\/\"><strong>Why Kids\u2019 Identities Shouldn\u2019t be All About Sports<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-this-sport-builds-confidence-and-focus-in-kids\/\"><strong>How This Sport Builds Confidence and Focus in Kids<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-sports-kids-emotions-affect-teammates\/\"><strong>How Sports Kids\u2019 Emotions Affect Teammates<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\"><\/span>Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Ultimate Sports Parent\" class=\"wp-image-11157\" style=\"width:167px;height:auto\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Every day, we receive letters from parents like you who want their children and teens to excel in sports. However, these parents can <strong>see fear, doubt, and frustration on the faces of their kids<\/strong> who struggle with the \u201cinner\u201d game of sports. But these parents have no idea how to help their kids <strong>overcome the worries, expectations and self-defeating thoughts<\/strong> that prevent their young athletes from feeling confident and successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can benefit from our 1<strong>5-plus years\u2019 of work in sports psychology and sports parenting research<\/strong>. Now, you can <strong>tap into our secrets to sports success<\/strong> through a cutting-edge, 14-day program that helps young athletes overcome the top \u201cmental game\u201d challenges that sports parents face\u2014and the top <strong>challenges young athletes face<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-fbab03ed\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-fa7bf2e7 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/ultimate-sports-parent-workbook-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-33bcee1d gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-ultimate-sports-parent-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Social Approval in Youth Sports What your kids learn in sports often transfers to other areas of their lives. Take confidence, for example. If kids learn how to feel confident in youth sports&#8211;meaning, if they know how to identify and address confidence busters&#8211;this often means higher confidence in other areas &#8230; <a title=\"Tips To Boost Kids\u2019 Confidence In Sports And Life\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-boost-kids-confidence-in-sports-and-life\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Tips To Boost Kids\u2019 Confidence In Sports And Life\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3793,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,7,6],"tags":[264,572,280],"class_list":["post-2470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-confidence-in-young-athletes","category-sports-psychology-for-kids","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-confidence-in-young-athletes","tag-sports-mental-game","tag-youth-sports-confidence"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}