Coaching Kids with Celebration

In this article, we show you how to use honest and positive encouragement to motivate your kids to keep going, even when they're faced with obstacles. And why they're going to be all the better for it.

When kids are just hanging around the house, it's important to keep their physical activity and spirits up. So we've taken learnings from Nike's Made to Play commitment, to bring you a breakdown of the 6 Cs of coaching to help kids stay upbeat and active. In this article, we're focusing on the C of Celebration. We asked Houda Loukili, a coach with the Favela Street programme in Amsterdam, to explain the value of celebration.

"Kids can only blossom if we feed them mentally", says Houda.

But how? "By giving them the sincerest compliments", answers Houda. With praise it's important we're specific about something the kids can control, like effort or determination. So saying something like, "I saw the exercise was difficult, but you kept on going", is great.

These small, honest words of encouragement really can go a long way. Houda also says that while, "We can be generous with compliments", we must also, "Be patient" and not expect too much straight away.

They're your little champions so focus on the small positives. As Houda puts it, "keep spirits up and celebrate life".

It's also really important to make sure you show kids that you're on their side, even when they make mistakes. By offering abundant encouragement, like high fives, you can create real moments of connection. Let them know you're their biggest fan: "Give kids extra encouragement", says Houda, especially when they're facing obstacles. If they say, "I can't do this", you can reply with, "You can't do this yet. But I believe you can if you keep trying".