{"id":7345,"date":"2022-02-02T15:44:27","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T20:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=7345"},"modified":"2025-07-09T04:43:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T08:43:02","slug":"communicating-with-sports-kids-during-car-rides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/communicating-with-sports-kids-during-car-rides\/","title":{"rendered":"Communicating With Sports Kids During Car Rides"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/communicating-with-sports-kids-during-car-rides-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/communicating-with-sports-kids-during-car-rides-1.jpg\" alt=\"Car Conversation Sports Kid\" class=\"wp-image-7347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/communicating-with-sports-kids-during-car-rides-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/communicating-with-sports-kids-during-car-rides-1-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"boost-confidence-through-good-communication\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Boost_Confidence_Through_Good_Communication\"><\/span>Boost Confidence Through Good Communication<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 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\/communicating-with-sports-kids-during-car-rides\/#Boost_Confidence_Through_Good_Communication\" >Boost Confidence Through Good Communication<\/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\/communicating-with-sports-kids-during-car-rides\/#Communication_For_Young_Athletes\" >Communication For Young Athletes<\/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\/communicating-with-sports-kids-during-car-rides\/#Listen_to_the_Ultimate_Sports_Podcast_Below\" >Listen to the Ultimate Sports Podcast Below:<\/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\/communicating-with-sports-kids-during-car-rides\/#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\/communicating-with-sports-kids-during-car-rides\/#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>For parents, <strong>connecting<\/strong> with young athletes is an important bonus of youth sports\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Harley Rotbart, pediatrician, sports parent and author of&nbsp; the bestselling \u201cNo Regrets Parenting\u201d says it\u2019s important for parents to take advantage of the opportunities to boost communication with kids while helping them participate in youth sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The car ride is one great opportunity, Rotbart told us during an interview with our Ultimate Sports Parent podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Rotbart\u2019s sports kids were young, he always warmed them up for 20 minutes before getting in the car to head to a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe would hit tennis balls for 20 minutes before we got in the car. Or we would shoot baskets for 20 minutes,\u201d he says. But once the young athletes got in the car, it was time to leave sports behind and talk about the rest of their lives, Rotbart says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During warmups and in the car, it&#8217;s critical to show kids you\u2019re <strong>listening<\/strong>, he says. Parents can do this by saying things like \u201caha!\u201d and \u201cI agree!\u201d At stop lights, parents can turn and face their young athletes to show that they\u2019re listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Communication_For_Young_Athletes\"><\/span>Communication For Young Athletes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBy paying attention, we let them know that what\u2019s important to them is important to us, too,\u201d he says. This type of <strong>listening<\/strong> can boost kids\u2019 confidence and also improve communication with them, which is critical to being sports parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the ride, it\u2019s also important to let the kids dominate the conversation, says Rotbart. That means prompting them, and being sure to listen and let them talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While some experts say it\u2019s not a good idea to discuss the game during the ride home, Rotbart says that it\u2019s okay to talk about what happened during the game, as long as the kids want to discuss it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOn the way home is the time to talk about the game. You can do a little bit of debriefing: How could you have passed the ball more effectively, for example. But on the way to practice, there should not be any strategy or coaching,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to practicing good <strong>listening<\/strong> and <strong>communication<\/strong> skills during the car rides, parents need to communicate well about the pandemic, says Rotbart\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn my 35 years as a pediatric infectious disease doctor, we have never had a challenge like Covid,\u201d he says. One of the challenges is kids\u2019 getting enough social interaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To help them cope, parents should encourage sports kids to play pickup games outside. \u201cThe bottom line is to create opportunities to give them free play, fun activities with their friends,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"listen-to-the-ultimate-sports-podcast-below\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Listen_to_the_Ultimate_Sports_Podcast_Below\"><\/span>Listen to the Ultimate Sports Podcast Below: <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Embed Player\" src=\"\/\/play.libsyn.com\/embed\/destination\/id\/3204377\/height\/192\/theme\/modern\/size\/large\/thumbnail\/yes\/custom-color\/ffffff\/hide-playlist\/yes\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"true\" mozallowfullscreen=\"true\" oallowfullscreen=\"true\" msallowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"100%\" height=\"192\"><\/iframe>\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\/communicating-with-young-athletes-is-key-to-success\/\"><strong>Communicating With Young Athletes Is Key To Success<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-resolve-conflicts-in-youth-sports\/\"><strong>How to Resolve Conflicts in Youth Sports<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-do-young-athletes-want-from-their-sports-experience\/\"><strong>What do Young Athletes Want From Their Sports Experience?\u00a0<\/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>Boost Confidence Through Good Communication For parents, connecting with young athletes is an important bonus of youth sports\u2026 Harley Rotbart, pediatrician, sports parent and author of&nbsp; the bestselling \u201cNo Regrets Parenting\u201d says it\u2019s important for parents to take advantage of the opportunities to boost communication with kids while helping them &#8230; <a title=\"Communicating With Sports Kids During Car Rides\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/communicating-with-sports-kids-during-car-rides\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Communicating With Sports Kids During Car Rides\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[39,182,117],"class_list":["post-7345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-parent-podcast","tag-kids-sports-psychology","tag-sports-parents","tag-youth-sports-psychology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7345","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=7345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}