Parents in Sport and Recreation
Parents are pivotal in their children's physical development. Participation in sport and physical activity is fundamental to the health and development of our children and youth.
It provides the foundation for a healthy lifestyle and is associated
with a range of benefits throughout life including social interaction,
increased attentiveness, confidence, health and overall wellbeing. At
the same time, we know that being inactive is a cause of many health
problems such as obesity and diabetes which have increased in recent
years.
Without parental encouragement and a willingness to become involved in recreational
activities at various levels, children will not receive adequate exposure to activities
that can enhance their lives, both in the short and long term.
Just as research has shown children whose parents take an active interest in
their education (e.g. encouraging reading) have a better chance of academic
achievement, children whose parents
encourage physical activity will be more inclined to lead healthy, active
lives.
US
studies have shown parents have the most influence on whether or not their children
will participate in inclusive recreation and leisure. Parents are usually the
"strongest allies" to recreation professionals and play a key role in promoting
inclusive recreation and leisure.
There are many areas which parents can become involved with to help
encourage their children. This page offers some suggestions on how this can be
achieved.
Play by the Rules provides information and online learning about how to prevent and deal with discrimination, harassment and child abuse for the sport and recreation industry.
Keep it fun
Anyone with any involvement in sport has seen "the ugly parent" - the ones
who adopt an aggressive, overbearing, or pushy approach to their child's
involvement. It doesn't go down well with anyone ... particularly the ugly
parent's child. The basic premise of all physical activity for anyone, adult or
child, is "have fun".
There are many strategies for encouraging children to adopt a more
physically-active lifestyle. These can be found on the Australian Sports
Commission's web site.
Member protection (photographing
children)
Children should be free to take part in sport and recreation without risk
of abuse.
By implementing volunteer screening and member protection policies and
procedures organisations add to the overall safety of those who participate in
sport and recreation.
The department provides guidelines on initiatives that aim to minimise the
risk of children being harmed within the sport and recreation industry. These
areas include harassment, abuse, discrimination, sport in schools and
photographing children.
Smarter than smoking scholarship
One of the department's youth initiatives, intended for regional areas, is
the Smarter Than Smoking scholarship. Selected athletes who have been
identified by their State Sporting Association as having potential to reach
state or national selection, receive assistance for sport development directly
associated with their performance (e.g. support to attend training sessions,
state and national team selections, state and national competitions, special
coaching sessions, etc).
Scholarships provide opportunities for people to develop professionally in their chosen field.
The Department of Sport and Recreation provides four fantastic recreational camps situated around the greater Perth area.
The camps offer schools and organisations the ideal location for
conferences, personal development, team building and participation in a
safe and fun environment.
Memories of the January 2012 school holidays will be of adventure, activities and fun for the many young people who attended a Department of Sport and Recreation camp holiday program.
Youth initiatives
The Junior Sport Framework (JSF) is a set of guidelines, checklists and templates for national sporting organisations to develop their own sport specific junior sport policies considering issues at national, state and local levels.
The Department of Sport and Recreation conducted a Junior Sport and Education Forum with representatives from State Sporting Associations, schools and other key industry bodies to discuss access to schools by sporting organisations and effective implementation of programs.
The Schools Network (SN) supports schools that are keen to deliver better sport and physical activity opportunities to their staff and students.
Sportsfun is a youth leadership program that develops coaching and officiating in young leaders who in turn provide fun instruction of modified sports to younger participants.
Publications for Information for parents
Join your family, sporting or community group friends to be as active as you can during Spring for your chance to win some great prizes.
Active Parent Education Kit Fact Sheet 3
Parents play a key role in creating healthy environments for their children. In order to achieve this, many parents will need information and education on the benefits of physical activity and on the importance of positive and acceptable behaviours in sport and recreation.
Active Parent Education Kit Fact Sheet 1
Children and Adolescent Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (CAPANS)
The Physical Activity Taskforce conducts the CAPANS survey to provide a measure of physical activity levels and nutrition behaviours of West Australian children and adolescents. This comprehensive data then helps to inform policy, programs and practice to encourage physical activity and improve healthy active behaviours in children.
Information about Sportsfun.
The Department of Sport and Recreation recently conducted a workshop of key stakeholders within youth sport and a major issue each was facing was difficulty with retaining young people in their sport.
Active Parent Education Kit
Fact Sheet 8
Information about Sportsfun.
Active Parent Education Kit
Fact Sheet 6
Active Parent Education Kit
Fact Sheet 5
What are selection criteria and how can I use this to my advantage?
A parent's behaviour on the sporting sideline can determine whether their child has a good time playing sport.
Sportsfun checklist
Sportsfun checklist
Sportsfun checklist
Sportsfun checklist
Active Parent Education Kit
Fact Sheet 7
Active Parent Education Kit Fact Sheet 4
The Schools Network is focused on connecting schools and sport. Schools that have a strong interest in sport and physical activity become members of the network.
Information about Sportsfun.
Information about Sportsfun.
Information about Sportsfun.
Active Parent Education Kit Fact Sheet 2
Active Parent Education Kit
Fact Sheet 9
As the sport and recreation industry is extremely competitive, it is important to gain as much practical experience as possible while you are studying.
The Youth Sport and Recreation Committee consists of young people in secondary school who are passionate about sport and recreation.
Passport into schools
Suggested strategies and best practice examples for initiating and maintaining partnerships between sports and schools.
How to liaise with the relevant stakeholders.
Making your club attractive to youth.
Turning junior members into long term members.
Making your club and activities safe for everyone.
Linking sport and recreations clubs with schools.
The Lab is an online library of research on education and youth issues.
15 December 2010
The Australian state of Victoria's Multicultural Sport and Recreation Project aims to increase the number of on-going sporting opportunities for newly arrived, refugee background and migrant young people. The Centre for Multicultural Youth works towards creating a sport and recreation sector inclusive of diversity. This resource includes information on the benefits of diversity for inclusive clubs, the role of sport and recreation in resettlement, barriers to participation and strategies to overcome them. (Centre for Multicultural Youth)
13 August 2010
On the eve of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, August 14–26, WADA is set to officially launch its Play True Generation Program. The Program, which was piloted during the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India, challenges young athletes to be a generation of clean athletes. (WADA)
09 August 2010
Schools can integrate physical activity throughout the school day by scheduling physical activity breaks and including physical activities during academic classes, creating opportunities for students to be active between classes, and providing physical activity before, during, and after school and through organized programs such as intramurals and recess. (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, US)
11 August 2010
The Australian Sports Commission's campaign 'Play for life...join a sporting club has been launched right around the country, with enthusiastic support and endorsement not only from the sporting community, but also from schools, health professionals, child psychologists and counsellors, and the media. (Australian Sports Commission)
15 July 2010
A new study led by York University researchers finds that young athletes with Type 1 diabetes may experience a marked decrease in performance as a result of their blood sugar levels. (physorg.com)
Play by the Rules website
Callum Warner
Graduate Project Officer
Telephone (08) 9492 9628
Facsimile (08) 9492 9711
Email Callum
