How do you get an eight year old boy to practice when he thinks he does not need to?

Question

My 8 year old just joined little league. He needs to pracice his throwing skills alot. How do I get him to do that without discouraging him?

Answer 1

Natural consequences are usually the most powerful. If you've encouraged him to practice and he chooses not to, wait until after the next team practice and then suggest it again - he might at that point be seeing for himself that he needs it.

Answer 2

if positive reinforcement and threats don't work....

try bribing him...

if you practice for xx number of minutes you get 20min on the playstation or something on tv

if you practice for xx number of minutes more then you get more minutes towards what you want to do.

with my boys there is no tv - movies or playstationg without "paying" for it... if they want special stuff they have to earn it.
(why? cause they have so many damn toys they better well play with them lol)

with my 9 year old he plays the trumpet, he is naturally good but so what, he still needs to practice. he is supposed to play for 20 minutes. if he does 30 instead i roll over that time to the weekend and he gets a treat... time on the playstation, a short movie or maybe ice cream... if he really has been bad that week at school then the aded minutes are the only way for him to have a friend over.

for my lil one who is 5... well he hates to clean his room and has a bad temper... if he can do his "job" and control his temper he gets "points" or minutes for fun stuff

we don't do this to be mean, but it seems to work so we keep up with it...

on a side note if they want to watch a movie (not during family movie time) or play on the playstation or play on the computer then they both (or which ever wants the special fun) have to do a few push ups and sit ups.... they have gotten REALLY good at this...

doing the push ups and sit ups helps balance the couch potato syndrome and also makes my older son better at his karate class... my lil even beat an older child at his day care in a push up and sit up contest... tee hee thats good self esteem

the hardest thing is setting a rule and sticking to it... what ever you decide needs to be simple and constant... the more complex it because the less it will work


good luck

Answer 3

If you reward him, or punish him, to practice, he will not internalize the desire to practice. You might want to let him deal with the lack of practice for a couple games, and allow him to be motivated to practice. Without getting angry, you could gently mention after a game, "Maybe we should practice a little more this week, so you'll do well in the next game." It's best to keep your feelings and emotions out of it--so that he will learn to be responsible himself.

Answer 4

You have to make it fun. Incorporate practice with the ball with another outing. Play lots of games, not just throwing and catching, but rolling dodging and running. Include things that he is good at. Give lots of praise. Spend time afterwards, talking and hanging out. If he has a good time, he'll want to do it again.

Answer 5

Try asking your son to teach you how to play to show you how to throw the ball the way he does! Tell him you think he does a great job and you wish you could do it, so you would like him to take the time to give him some lessons. then he will feel he is showing his mom something and he will feel really cool cause he can do something his mom can't do and that he can show her how to do and at the same time he is practicing and thinks he's teaching you! Reversed psychology basically, it's kinda fun while it works!

Answer 6

Play "catch" with him. The parent/child interaction is something that all kids crave, and you'll be getting him to practice throwing without him realizing he's practicing.

Answer 7

yes, take him outside and have him throw the ball at some kind of target. if he hits it, he wins...no more practice. if he can't hit it, then he needs practice. I think once he starts practice with his team, he'll realize he needs practice throwing. his coach might tell him so if the other kids don't. but I'd try to save him that embarrassment.

Answer 8

well--encourage him a bit but don't make a big deal of it--it is suppossed to be FUN for him--If he is naturally excited about it he won't stop--if he's not maybe he will find another sport he is into--At my son's school--and he is a kindergartener..there is one boy who cannot stay away from sports--he is always--already playing with all teh older kids--throwing, hitting, etc. balls..So this is his natural thing--my son could care less--yes--he may still play some time--but it is not his natural interest--Don't push your son--expose him to various activities and when he finds one that CLICKS--you won't HAVE to tell him--he'll be practicing on his own because he loves it...

That said--I know encouragement is good too--so try your best but don't sweat it...

Answer 9

Go out side and practice throwing the ball with him, and try to make a game out of it. tell him that he can have something that he wants, something small. but you cannot force a child to do what he does not want, he will only rebel on you. good luck.

Answer 10

practice with him make it apart of a every day routine, or if u could afford it hire someone who can practice with him.