Keep Playing

Many kids drop out of sports or burnout at too early of an age, and this trend seems to be increasing. A study a few years ago reported from interviews that 9/10 youth athletes play sports because it is fun, and yet 70% of children are dropping out of organized sport by age 13. Participating in sports through teen years can be a great source of growth and confidence building as well as an outlet for stress in other areas of life.

The case for continuing sports and activity is pretty obvious: healthy life habits enforced, regular exercise which contributes to better emotional health, struggle and failure lessons, and time management skills vs idle time. So why are kids dropping out of sports at a higher rate than in the past? And how can we help fix this and encourage continued play?

Let’s commit to a few beneficial actions: encouraging fun, giving them ownership, teaching a positive mistake response, and valuing the lesson over the outcome. Next week, we’ll discuss these ideas more thoroughly! Keep playing…

#getbetter