How Can We Restructure Extracurriculars & Sports?

Specific Changes to Extracurriculars & Sports

Of the specific changes below, the main principles that guide them are 1) valuing individual and collective growth, 2) getting rid of labeling in sports and extracurriculars, 3) lowering the stakes of competitions & activities, and 4) making children rely on intrinsic motivation instead of extrinsic motivation to be successful.

Valuing Individual and Collective Growth

Set team & individual goals and set aside time to check in and acknowledge progress towards them
Track progress through efforts and improvement, not just based off of outcomes
Change roles in sports/activities often so that children are challenged and forced to grow, so that they end up with a diverse and well-rounded skillset
After competition, performance or games, analyze "what did we learn" instead of the typical "what went wrong"

No Labeling

Do not let kids specialize in one sport/activity (to keep that one thing and their performance in it from becoming their identity)
Get rid of the "A Team" and "B Team" concept in sports
Avoid labeling or mentioning "the best player", and also avoid talking about who's good at or the best at specific different things

Lowering the Stakes

Make events, performances and games more relaxed and less high-pressure
Lower the amount of elimination style games & events, especially the younger the children are
Take the focus off of big time travel/club sports, where kids are constantly playing elite competition
Emphasize to children the difference between their performance and their value as a human being

Intrinsic > Extrinsic Motivation

Have children set their own personal goals and teach them how to track their progress towards them
Remind children of how slight and miniscule growth and improvement add up and make a huge difference over time
Teach children to evaluate their own efforts and be honest with themselves, so they can do their personal best