It is hard to believe that summer is already about halfway over. For children and teens who play sports, this time of year can offer a welcome break from the usual school-year routine of practices, games, homework, and everything else competing for their time and energy.
At the same time, summer can also be a helpful opportunity for kids to build skills, gain confidence, and stay connected to their sport in a way that feels enjoyable rather than stressful.
During the school year, organized sports often come with strict practice schedules, early weekend games, pressure to perform, and the challenge of balancing athletics with schoolwork and other activities. For some kids, a sport they enjoy can slowly start to feel like another obligation. While that issue may need to be addressed more directly, summer can be a useful starting point for helping your child or teen reconnect with the fun of the sport while continuing to improve.
Whether your child is preparing for a fall season, working on specific skills, or simply trying to stay active, the following practical strategies may help make summer sports more positive and productive.
Keep the Focus on Fun
One of the best ways to make summer practice less stressful is to keep it casual. When kids feel like every throw, kick, swing, or shot is being evaluated, they may become frustrated or lose interest altogether.
- Make practice more like a game: Instead of simply telling your child to practice dribbling, catching, shooting, or passing, try turning the skill into a small challenge, obstacle course, or friendly competition. It does not need to be elaborate. The goal is to make the activity engaging enough that your child wants to keep going.
- Let your child be the expert: Ask your child to teach you a skill from their sport. This can be especially helpful for kids who are less confident, because explaining something to someone else can reinforce what they know and help them feel more capable.
- Don’t force kids to practice: This is crucial, as it is often a quick way to further decrease interest in a sport and can inhibit development of self-motivation to practice and get better.
Let Your Child Have Input Into Goals
As parents, it is often easy for us to notice what our kids could work on. Maybe it is using their non-dominant hand, staying engaged when they do not have the ball, improving footwork, or reacting more quickly.
However, when we simply give kids a list of things they need to improve, it can feel discouraging. Instead, consider asking open-ended questions such as:
“What is one thing you would feel proud of getting better at before the next season starts?”
If your child chooses something that seems small, that is okay. For one child, it may be improving free throws. For another, it may be feeling more comfortable catching a ball or running faster through first base. When kids have some ownership of the goal, they are more likely to practice because they want to improve, not simply because they feel pressured to please someone else.
Use Watching Sports as a Learning Opportunity
Another way to support your child’s development is to watch games together. These could be professional, college, high school, or local games. Watching others play can help children and teens better understand positioning, teamwork, strategy, and decision-making.
To make this more useful, try making it interactive rather than simply putting on a game in the background.
- Ask questions: You might ask, “Where do you think that player should move next?” or “Why do you think the defender chose to do that?” Questions like these can help kids think more deeply about the game without feeling like they are being lectured.
- Notice mistakes in a helpful way: When a professional athlete (or college player) misses a shot, strikes out, drops a pass, or makes another mistake, it can be useful to point out that even highly skilled athletes make errors. The important part is how they respond on the next play.
- Make it a positive family activity: Watching a game together, going to a local sporting event, or even talking about a favorite team can be a simple way to connect with your child around something they enjoy.
Ultimately, summer sports do not need to be centered on intense training or constant improvement. For many kids, the most helpful approach is to keep things low-pressure, give them a voice in what they work on, and look for ways to make sports a positive part of family life. This can help them build skills, confidence, and resilience while still keeping the fun in the game.
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