 Hi, I'm Alan Stein Jr., professional keynote speaker and author of Raise Your Game, High Performance Secrets from the Best of the Best. Having spent my entire life involved in youth sports and activities, both personally and professionally, I'm excited to share with you three tips on how to make sure your child can get the most out of their extracurricular experiences. In addition to being the proud father of 10-year-old twin sons and an 8-year-old daughter, all three of whom have been doing sports and activities for several years now. I was also a professional basketball performance coach for almost 20 years. As a fellow parent, I know how much you love your children and the time, money, and effort sacrifices and commitment that you make to them on a daily basis, and I'm here to help. I created this very brief video series to support you, to guide you, and to encourage you. I'm so thankful to be a part of the Parenting Fraternity and I hope these three tips help you raise your game. Question number one, why are youth sports and activities so important for children? Youth sports and activities are important for a child's development for four primary reasons. Number one, they're fun. The kids enjoy them and it makes them smile. Number two, they're a wonderful way to make friends and improve social skills and awareness. Number three, they are an ideal way to reinforce traits like work ethic, respect, accountability, and sportsmanship. And four, they teach life lessons and high utility concepts like mistakes and failure are part of the process. Be the type of teammate you want to play with and if you want to get good at anything, you have to practice during the unseen hours. Question number two, what is the best thing I can say to my child after a lesson, training session, practice or game? I love to watch you play. That's it. Those are the most impactful and empowering six words you can say to your child after any lesson, training session, practice or game. I love to watch you play. When you say those six words, you're telling your child how much you enjoy watching them have fun and progress and that you truly love them and support them unconditionally. I also recommend you ask them the following four questions to make sure you are emphasizing and reinforcing what is truly most important so that they benefit from life lessons and high utility concepts. Number one, did you have fun? Number two, did you give your best effort? Number three, did you listen to your coach or trainer or instructor? And number four, did you help someone else? Were you a great teammate? If they can answer yes to those four questions consistently, then their participation is well worth your investment. Question number three, what are some of the mistakes you've seen very well intentioned parents make? I have nothing but love, respect and appreciation for my fellow youth sports and activities parents, but as well intended as they may be, I've seen many of them make the following six mistakes. Number one, they hover during a lesson, training session, practice or game. It's so important that you give your child some space and the freedom to make mistakes without judgment. Number two, they coach from the sideline. It's so important that your child only receives instruction from one voice. The coach, trainer, teacher or instructor. Number three, they push too hard. The love and desire needs to come from your child, not from you. Your role is to support and encourage. Number four, they focus on the outcome instead of the process. If you want your child to maximize their development, don't get caught up in winning and losing. Focus more on praising a great attitude and a great effort. Number five, they want their child to specialize in a sport or activity at a very young age. Early sports specialization is actually a myth. It's in your child's best interest to try as many sports and activities as they can for as long as they can. And number six, they over structure and they over schedule. Give your children some autonomy and let them experience the magic of free play. Thank you so much for watching. I truly appreciate your attention. I hope you found these three tips helpful so that your child can continue to have a magical experience with their youth sports and activities. For more from me, check out raiseyourgamebook.com or follow at Allen Stein Jr. on all of the major social platforms.