Keep in mind that rewarding a child with expensive gifts or dishing or large amounts of money is certainly not what I'm talking about. What I'm suggesting is just offering a little motivation--sort of like paying a child an allowance for completing chores. For scoring goals, assisting on a goal, or efforts to make good passes, you can offer fun rewards (and not neccessarily monetary) such as the following:
- ice cream after the game
- pizza celebration
- afternoon at the zoo
- movie rental
- time at the park with dad
Earlier this week, I heard a parent offer her daughter an order of french fries if she worked hard and scored a goal in the soccer game. Well, the player scored two goals so her mom made that a "supersize" order of fries. Simple, yet fun!
Be creative. Look for ways to motivate your child in sports, just like you motivate him to do homework or to participate in other activities. Ultimately, you want a well-rounded child, and if that takes a little motivation with rewards, so be it.
-Kim
