{"id":53,"date":"2008-05-08T02:30:50","date_gmt":"2008-05-08T02:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=53"},"modified":"2025-08-08T05:40:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T09:40:39","slug":"how-parents-can-improve-communication-with-sports-kids-of-all-abilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-parents-can-improve-communication-with-sports-kids-of-all-abilities\/","title":{"rendered":"How Parents Can Improve Communication with Sports Kids &#8211; of All Abilities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3429\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/how-to-boost-kids-sports-confidence.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/how-to-boost-kids-sports-confidence.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/how-to-boost-kids-sports-confidence-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=\"Communicating_With_Young_Athletes\"><\/span>Communicating With Young Athletes<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\/how-parents-can-improve-communication-with-sports-kids-of-all-abilities\/#Communicating_With_Young_Athletes\" >Communicating With Young Athletes<\/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\/how-parents-can-improve-communication-with-sports-kids-of-all-abilities\/#To_communicate_well_with_your_young_athlete_its_important_to_ask_the_right_questions\" >To communicate well with your young athlete, it&#8217;s important to ask the right questions.<\/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\/how-parents-can-improve-communication-with-sports-kids-of-all-abilities\/#Effective_questions_include\" >Effective questions include:<\/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\/how-parents-can-improve-communication-with-sports-kids-of-all-abilities\/#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-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-parents-can-improve-communication-with-sports-kids-of-all-abilities\/#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>We recently checked in with sports dad Michael Wood&#8211;chief fitness officer at Koko Fitness Inc.&#8211; about his daughter&#8217;s making her high school basketball team as a 6<sup>th<\/sup> grader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was a double-edged sword for Wood&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the one hand, he was happy she had the opportunity to play with girls who had similar abilities. On the other hand, he didn&#8217;t want to <strong>pressure<\/strong> her too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;We didn&#8217;t want to push her along too fast. The big thing was the mental aspect,&#8221; <\/em>he says.<em>&#8220;Could she play with juniors and seniors in high school?&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To help their daughter, Julia, cope with the challenge of playing with such older girls, Wood and his wife emphasized <strong>open communication<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;We always talk to her. We say, &#8216;Skill-wise, you are like a high school player, but you just turned 13&#8217;,&#8221;<\/em> he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of Julia&#8217;s biggest challenges was being the second highest scorer. The other girls often looked to her to score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;Why me?&#8221;<\/em> Julia would ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;I&#8217;d say, \u2018Even though you are young, you are talented. It&#8217;s something you have to take step by step&#8217;,&#8221;<\/em> explains Wood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than anything, Wood and his wife want to ensure Julia is enjoying herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;She has a smile on her face, and loves the game. That&#8217;s what we look for-or we make some adjustments,&#8221;<\/em> he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s the right attitude for parents of all athletes&#8211;whether they play up, like Julia, or take part in a team with kids their age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You need to keep <strong>communicating with them<\/strong>&#8211;and you need to ensure they&#8217;re having fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"To_communicate_well_with_your_young_athlete_its_important_to_ask_the_right_questions\"><\/span>To communicate well with your young athlete, it&#8217;s important to ask the right questions.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Asking your child the right questions shows your child what you think is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if you ask,<em> &#8220;Did you win?&#8221;<\/em>&nbsp;Your child will think winning is most important. If you ask, <em>&#8220;Did you have fun?&#8221;<\/em>&nbsp;She will assume having fun is most important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Effective_questions_include\"><\/span>Effective questions include:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Open ended questions<\/strong> &#8211; Don&#8217;t rely on simple yes\/no questions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Probing questions<\/strong> &#8211; Be sure to ask the child to elaborate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Process-focused questions<\/strong> &#8211; <strong>Focus<\/strong> on process, instead of results such as wins or scores<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gentle questions<\/strong> &#8211; Ask questions that don&#8217;t attack your young athlete<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to learn more about how to become the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/ultimate-sports-parent-workbook-cd-program\/\">Ultimate Sports Parent<\/a>? Check our our workbook\/CD program at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You&#8217;ll learn:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How much pressure is too much<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to deal with negative coaches<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to cope with little playing time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And much more!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/ultimate-sports-parent-workbook-cd-program\/\"><strong>Check out our Sports Parenting Workbook Program!<\/strong><\/a><\/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\/building-sports-kids-confidence-with-communication\/\"><strong>Building Confidence With Supportive Communication<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-communication-is-more-important-for-athletes\/\"><strong>Why Communication is More Important for Athletes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/communication-to-build-kids-confidence\/\"><strong>Communication to Build kids\u2019 Confidence [Podcast]<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on 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>Communicating With Young Athletes We recently checked in with sports dad Michael Wood&#8211;chief fitness officer at Koko Fitness Inc.&#8211; about his daughter&#8217;s making her high school basketball team as a 6th grader. This was a double-edged sword for Wood&#8230; On the one hand, he was happy she had the opportunity &#8230; <a title=\"How Parents Can Improve Communication with Sports Kids &#8211; of All Abilities\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-parents-can-improve-communication-with-sports-kids-of-all-abilities\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How Parents Can Improve Communication with Sports Kids &#8211; of All Abilities\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,29,16,23,17,6,12],"tags":[382,259],"class_list":["post-53","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kids-in-sports","category-positive-feedback-for-kids","category-pushy-sports-parents","category-sports-kids","category-sports-parenting","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","category-youth-sports-tips","tag-communication-with-sports-kids","tag-sports-parenting","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53","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=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}