Athletics & Wellness
Grade 4
10 min
Spotting & Easing Performance Pressure
Recognize signs your child feels too much pressure.
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1
What Is Performance Pressure?
Performance pressure is the feeling that you have to win or be perfect in your sport. While a little bit of excitement before a game is normal, too much pressure can take the fun out of playing. This feeling can come from a child's own expectations or from outside sources like coaches, teammates, or even loving parents.
2
Signs to Watch For
A child feeling too much pressure might not say it directly. Look for changes in their behavior, like suddenly not wanting to go to practice, getting very upset over small mistakes, having trouble sleeping before a big game, or making negative comments about their own abilities.
3
Opening the Conversation
Create a safe space to talk by focusing on effort and enjoyment, not just results. Instead of asking, "Did you win?" try asking, "What was the most fun part of practice today?" or "What's something you learned?" This shows you care about their experience, not just the outcome.
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Challenging
Your talented middle-schooler is invited to try out for a highly competitive travel team. They are excited but also visibly more anxious. How can you best apply the lesson's principles to this new situation?
0.Continuously check in about their feelings, reminding them that the goal is to have fun and that you're proud of them for trying, regardless of the outcome.
1.Tell them this is what high-level sports are like and they need to learn to handle the pressure if they want to succeed.
2.Immediately hire a private coach to give them an edge at the tryout, adding more practice sessions to their week.
3.Downplay the importance of the tryout by telling them they probably won't make the team anyway, so they shouldn't worry.
Challenging
At a game, you notice another parent on your team loudly criticizing their own child's mistakes. How can you best model pressure-reducing behavior for your own child, who can overhear these comments?
0.Loudly praise your child every time they do something well to counteract the negativity.
1.Join in with the other parent, agreeing that the kids are making too many mistakes.
2.Tell your child to ignore that parent because they don't know what they're talking about.
3.Keep your own sideline comments positive and team-focused, and later, talk privately with your child about how different people handle stress.
Easy
Which of the following is a potential emotional sign that a child is feeling too much pressure in their sport?
0.Increased irritability or unusual moodiness
1.Asking for new equipment for their sport
2.Talking excitedly about an upcoming game
3.Spending more time practicing their skills
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