Resilience means being able to cope with setbacks and 'bounce back' from mistakes.
Real life and on-screen football coach Charlotte Lynch, AKA Coach Georgie in Football Fantastics, shares some tips on how football can help your child develop resilience and enjoy playing the game.
Charlotte Lynch from Football Fantastics shares great tips for developing resilience
Hello, I'm footballer, presenter and actress Charlotte Lynch, and I play Coach Georgie in CBeebies Football Fantastics.
As a coach, I see a lot of big feelings on the pitch. Football is a game of highs and lows, which makes it the perfect place to build that superpower we call 'resilience.'
We often hear the phrase 'practice makes perfect.' But in football, we prefer to say 'practice makes progress.' Whether that's learning to dribble the ball just right or finally connecting that perfect pass - these skills don't happen overnight.
By joining a local community club and playing football regularly, children get a dedicated space to try, fail and try again in a safe environment.
Trial and error is a vital thing for us all to experience. None of us are good at something immediately and understanding that is a very important step in a child's development.
Every session, every match, every experience shows us something new about ourselves and the way we approach sport, spurring us on to improve and get better over time.
By learning about improvement, we also understand the value of effort. Seeing our own skills improve through repetition builds a fantastic sense of self-worth. We discover that we have the power to get better at things that are hard.
And more importantly, we learn that improvement isn't a straight line. Not every match or every opportunity will go our way. Some shots will miss, some games will be lost.
Football is about coming together as a team, brushing ourselves off and bouncing back, learning to be resilient, to get our heads down and focus on being better next time.
By supporting and celebrating our teammates through the near misses, as much as the goals, we learn that our mistakes are part of the journey.
We don't give up, we take a deep breath, we stay focused and we go again.
And that's a skill that will help children at home, in the classroom, in their hobbies and everywhere in between.
Three ways football teaches resilience
1. Practice makes progress
With its wins, losses and everything in between, football is a great way for children to build resilience.
When encouraging your child to improve, try using the phrase "practice makes progress" with them, rather than "practice makes perfect". No one becomes good at something straight away and focusing on progress can be more helpful than aiming for perfection, which may feel daunting, out of reach and unrealistic.
Whether in football or in other areas of life, skills improve over time through practice.
For example, passing or dribbling a ball may not come easily at first, but are skills that can develop with patience and repetition.
By praising effort rather than results, you can help your child build confidence and stay motivated to keep trying.
- If your child becomes frustrated when things don't go their way, check our advice on talking to children about their behaviour.
2. Mistakes are part of the journey
Every new experience teaches a child something about themselves.
Progress rarely happens in a straight line. Often, learning comes through trial and error.
In football, for example, some shots will be missed and some games will be lost.
Helping your child to understand that things won't always go their way can make any setbacks feel less overwhelming.
Being willing to have a go, get something wrong and try again is an important part of a child's development. Knowing that it's ok to make mistakes can help with their self-esteem too.
3. Giving it a go
Football is about much more than winning.
It's about being part of a team, picking yourself up after a setback and learning how to bounce back. It teaches children to stay focused, keep trying and see mistakes as part of their learning.
Why not encourage your child to join a local football club, where they can practise regularly and have fun with other children? They might also get the chance to play at school. Perhaps they'll discover a love of football, or maybe it’ll inspire them to try a different sport or activity.
Look for opportunities around your area to get involved in team sports. There are groups and clubs out there for all ages, including those aimed at children with disabilities.
Every new experience helps children learn, grow in confidence and develop resilience.
Watching CBeebies shows together
Watching CBeebies shows together like Football Fantastics is a great way to start conversations and activities with your child.
You can use moments from the series to talk with your child about resilience and why it's ok (and normal) to make mistakes.
Just like in the film above, you could pause and chat about how the players worked together, supported each other and solved challenges as a team.
You can use moments from the series to help your child think about teamwork, friendship and what it means to be resilient, both on and off the pitch.
