At the end of a long season (and school year) any hockey parent will tell you that it gets even tougher to get young hockey players to pay attention and stay focused on whatever task is at hand.

For months, our kids’ attention has been on sticks, skates, homework and tests. Now that summer’s in sight, it’s our job as parents to offer the right mix of structure, free time and support – which will go a long way to helping them relax, recharge and have fun.

“Recovery time is very important for sustainability of motivation in sport for the long run,” said Dr. Justin Anderson, a sports psychologist with the University of Minnesota and owner of Edina-based Premier Sports Psychology, PLLC. “I work with a number of professional athletes and they all scatter as soon as the season ends. They’ll take several weeks to rest physically and mentally – they want that down time to keep their motivation high.

“They actually get through that time and want to come back,” he continued. “Nothing is more important to growth and performance than intrinsic motivation. Otherwise, burnout is likely to happen.”

Kids Are Different

Although that strong mental approach is key for success in professional athletes, kids just don’t have the same capacity to absorb so much information and intensity, said Dr. Cindra Kamphoff, director of Mankato’s Center of Sport and Performance Psychology and associate professor in sport and performance psychology at Minnesota State University.

“Remember, your children are kids,” she said. ”Studies show that a normal child’s attention span is 3 to 5 minutes per year of their age. That means the average 8-year-old should be able to concentrate on a task for around a half hour (give or take a few minutes).

“So, as parents, we need to support our children having fun,” Kamphoff continued. “It might be easier to treat them like mini-adults, but they are not – they’re still learning, growing, and their brains are continuing to develop.”

So What Can We Do?

Read more at minnesotahockey.org.