When it comes to your child playing sports, you wish them the very best. However, sometimes you’re watching them wondering what’s going through their head. As a parent to a child between the ages of 4-6, it can be hard to know how to be a supportive sports parent. However, I have some tips that will help you get through any game.

Remember They’re Playing

It’s hard to not go out onto the field and show you child how it’s done. Unfortunately, our children wouldn’t learn anything from us if we did everything for them. One major tip for being a supportive sports parent is to realize that they are the one playing. They are in charge of how the behave during the game. All we can do is hope they’re being the best they can be!

Get Them Excited

I know as a mom to a younger child who plays sports they can sometimes lose interest in the sport they are playing. As a parent, one of the most supportive things you can do is to get them excited. Don’t let them quit just because they don’t like it the first game. Let them come back and try again! Of course if they continuously don’t like it, you have another issue on your hands, but work on getting them excited about their game.

Pick Out the Good

As a parent, it’s so easy to say the negative things about their performance. However, try something new. Try telling them what they did right out there. If you saw that they had good teamwork, then point that out. If you saw them help a teammate off the ground, point that out. It’s always nice to be recognized for what you did right, instead of what you did wrong.

Listen to Your Child

If you have a preschooler or a kindergartner in sports, it’s really cool to listen to their perspective. Ask them how their game went and what they loved about it. Remember that sports at this age isn’t all about competition, it’s about experiences and seeing if they really like playing the sport. Listening to your child about their game is one way to be a supportive sports parent.

Meet Their Needs

Children who are playing sports as a kindergartner or preschooler need many needs met. They’ll need a snack, water, and encouragement. Try to be the encouraging person they look up to at their games. You can meet their needs by helping them when they’re hurt and also ensuring they get to their games on time.

Most sports teams of little ones have some sort of snack schedule. We try to bring better snack options for the kids like grapes and carrot sticks. While most of the team drinks water during the game, we like to bring along Charlie’s favorite drink for a post game pick-up!

With 40% of your kids’ Daily Value of Calcium and 12% Daily Value of Potassium, this is the postgame snack that bring the nutrition and the fun!

I love that Nesquik comes in 8 oz bottles that are ready to drink! They’re perfect to bring along for a whole team of thirsty kids! The 8 oz Nesquik bottles have 8g of protein to help support growth and development, calcium to develop and maintain bones and teeth, and potassium to help support active muscles!

Those kids really move it out there on the field and they can definitely need some help replenishing after a game! Check out the soccer tips and tricks from Nesquik!

Being a supportive sports parent is about more than just going to their games. It’s about being there for them and being an encouragement.

Do you have any tips for being a supportive sports parent, especially to preschoolers or kindergartners?