Tips to parents on how to raise sports champs

MANILA, Philippines - Parents play an integral role in ensuring the participation of their children in sports. From the initial decision to enroll their kids to their continuous presence and support, they are an important factor in ensuring that their kids stay active.

Numerous studies have shown a strong relationship between successful outcomes in sports participation for kids and how their parents encourage their achievements. However, the rising trend in helicopter parents especially during sports, have been found to be detrimental to the experiences of kids.

So how should parents support their children in sports without stifling their enthusiasm? Milo, as part of its thrust to encourage future champions, is sharing these tips that could help parents motivate their kids to not just become champions in sport, but also in life.

• Keep it fun. A study involving over 25,000 children showd that the primary motivation of kids in sports was “to have fun.” As parents, we may lose sight of this and focus on winning, or other reasons. Remember, it’s your kids participating, not you.

• Focus on efforts, not results. This is especially true for younger athletes, as the experience of having fun and learning new things should be more important than medals and trophies.

• Be there, but not all the time. Let your kids be independent. Allow them to trust their coach, learn from their actions, and most importantly, make new friends, all on their own.

• Be involved, but not over-involved. While parents are much-appreciated fans and chaperones during sports, most are not trained to provide guidance during the activities themselves. Support the coaches in their decisions and provide feedback in private.

• Extend the fun beyond courtyard or gym. Share stories after each session and involve the family in the post-sport exhilaration. Win or lose, each moment in sports has lessons that each member can benefit from.

• And lastly, equip your children with the energy they need to enjoy their sports to the fullest. Milo has Actigen-E, which is a combination of vitamins and micronutrients that helps optimize the release of energy from protein, carbohydrates, and fat in their food. Milo also contains Protomalt, a mixture of different types of carbohydrates that provides not just energy,but also other nutrients children’s active bodies need.