CHILD MOTIVATION

Reasons for participation: fun, friends and competition.

To understand the psychology of grassroots sport, it is essential to analyze why children decide to take up physical activity.

Research indicates that the main motives are often not related to winning trophies or achieving elite status, but to intrinsic and social factors.

Fun, learning new skills, affiliation (being with friends) and the thrill of the game are the primary drivers.

When young athletes are consulted, they often value the shared experience and enjoyment of the process more than the numerical outcome. An illustrative example would be a child who joins a local swim club.

While the parents may be focused on getting him to improve his times, for the child, the primary motivation may simply be the play in the pool with his peers before and after training, or the satisfaction of learning how to do a turn correctly.

If the environment removes this playful and social component to focus exclusively on mechanical repetition and fierce competition, it risks disconnecting the child from his or her primary source of motivation.

Theory of competitive motivation in children

According to the theory of competence motivation, children are motivated when they perceive that they have sufficient ability to master the tasks presented to them.

Perceived competence is the key determinant: if a child feels capable ("I am good at this"), he will experience enjoyment and pride, which will reinforce his desire to participate.

Conversely, if she perceives a lack of ability, this will generate anxiety and embarrassment, decreasing motivation. Let's imagine a girl starting rhythmic gymnastics classes.

If the coach asks her to perform complex movements for which she does not have the basic coordination, she will feel awkward in front of her classmates, which will induce fear of ridicule and rejection of the activity.

However, if she is given challenges adjusted to her level that she can overcome with effort, her self-perception of competence will increase.

This sense of mastery generates a positive emotional state that feeds the cycle of motivation and ad