The importance of physical exercise is noteworthy at all ages in which it is practiced: from the decrease in the effects of aging to the development of social skills in childhood. And it is at this stage that it is most strongly emphasized.

But, of course, in childhood you are not completely self-sufficient, so you need adult support. What is the role of parents in the sporting development of their children? Let’s see, going over those aspects of the day-to-day training in which they intervene directly or indirectly.

Parents and their children’s sporting development

From a few decades ago to the present, sport has become more important in all households. The multitude of extra-curricular activities offered by different organisations has made sport an alternative leisure activity.

Gone is the lack of involvement of parents in the sport practice of their sons and daughters who went out to play in the park without any danger and avoided “getting into trouble”.

Nowadays, parents’ interest has been growing little by little, considering sport as a beneficial practice for the physical, social, health and leisure development of their sons and daughters s, thus taking the sport practice of each member of the family much more important and helping to create and strengthen the family synergy.

In many cases, this practice involves the commitment and dedication of the parents, who become the main means of transport to attend training sessions and competitions , helping with the physical and psychological recovery from injuries and promoting healthy lifestyle habits. The practice of one or several sports in each member of the family generates an economic expense and a family organization that goes beyond sports.

The benefits of sport

That parents invest so much time and effort in the physical exercise of their sons and daughters is not silly, and that is it is proven that practicing sports has countless benefits : it takes care of our physical health (improves circulation, strengthens the heart, better oxygenates the brain …) and mental health through the improvement of cognitive processes such as attention, memory or language and psychological well-being through variables such as self-esteem or self-concept, helps in academic performance thanks to its “de-stressing power” and motivator that serves as positive reinforcement, promotes values such as respect, cooperation, equality or tolerance and is a basis for social learning among others.

Ways to participate in your trainings

The role that parents decide to take in sport for their sons and daughters will be fundamental for their later development in it, hence the importance of evaluating and assessing the involvement of young people in their sport . Depending on the needs that the child demands, the parents should adapt their stimulation to a greater or lesser extent and in one direction or another to avoid risky situations such as burnout, injuries, or paying for the practice of sport.

Similarly, the role of the parent should not be mixed with that of a coach, as this would cause an inter-contextual conflict that would affect the child’s sporting life in different ways. Coherence and cooperation should be the cornerstone of the relationship between the two for the sake of the athlete.

Enjoy the sport, learn with it and improve thanks to it, are the three fundamental premises in basic sports that should not be mixed with those of high competition or performance. Terms that are unfortunately diffused at a very early age today.

The implication that parents can dedicate their sons and daughters to sport should encourage the practice of it and contribute to the good psychological and mental functioning of the sportsman or woman, turning sport into a common bond that proposes new goals and joint interests, that respects the autonomy of the child and that progressively achieves the integral development of the sportsman or woman through a stable and lasting parental union.