Conversations With Kids: Relax and Unwind

Improves:

• Relaxation

• Trust in Skills

Directions for Parents:

A lot of young people think about upcoming matches or competitive events for days and weeks beforehand. The pressure to feel like they need to perform perfectly can be a big issue for them. As a result, the quality of their sleep is poor and when they wake up the day of the match or competition they often feel on edge and anxious. They certainly don’t feel fresh and ready to trust their training and skills. Encourage your child to talk about how they spend the day and evening before a big match or competition.

Ideas for Kids:

1. The day before – if you were able to do something to take your mind off the match or competition what would it look like?
2. The night before – how would you spend the night before the match and competition if you knew your A game would come out tomorrow and you could simply relax.
3. During the night – if you struggle to get to sleep the night before a match what could you do to help yourself switch off and stay calm.