How to Improve Parental Involvement in Organized Sports

Parents can have a beneficial influence on their children's involvement in organized sports. They can be encouraging and helpful and even use it as a bonding experience between them and their child. You can encourage parents to take a positive, active role in their child's sports activities, while ensuring that parents get as much from the experience as their children. You can give the parents of your team members responsibilities with your team, provide home practice assignments that get them involved with their children's activities and provide a positive perspective of your team's success.

Instructions

    • 1

      Invite parents to attend their children's practices. Divide the responsibilities of the practice among the parents who attend regularly, such as bringing refreshments, hosting after-practice gatherings or helping with practice. Getting parents involved with practice gives them the feeling of inclusion and the opportunity to help their children. Perhaps a few of the parents could help you run the children through drills, or you could just encourage the parents to cheer their children on. You can even hire a parent who is familiar with the sport to work as your assistant coach.

    • 2

      Prepare home practice guides and give them to the parents of your team members. Include fun practice games, such as parents playing catch with their child for baseball or softball sports, passing drills for basketball or serving drills for a volleyball team. Make sure that the home practice activities are enjoyable, benefiting the child but including parents in the fun. By working with their child in this way, parents will be improving their child's skills while also helping to improve your team.

    • 3

      Watch for parents who show any problematic behavior, such as making disparaging statements, being overly harsh to their children or others or being overly harsh about player mistakes. Speak to any parents who show negativity or who discourage your players. Be direct but respectful, making sure they understand that you are concerned about the impact of their negativity on all of the children on the team. If a parent becomes argumentative, try to calm him before continuing; avoid a direct confrontation with him. Step in immediately if you see a parent yelling at a child or acting in a violent way.

    • 4

      Invite parents to get involved with larger team activities, such as team celebrations and the end-of-the-year party. At these events, speak to your team in positive terms, using encouraging language and giving them a beneficial way to look at winning and losing. Make sure the parents hear you; encourage the parents to use these ideas and techniques when they speak to their own children. Stay consistent and show everyone involved -- team members as well as parents -- a positive way to look at your team's success or failure during the season.