Let's Keep it Fun! But What Constitutes 'Fun' for Kids?
We must understand what makes sport enjoyable for kids to make sure it delivers
The term ‘fun’ is used incessantly in the context of youth sports, physical education and in the sphere of youth development more generally. The preoccupation with fun can be explained by the fact that a lack of fun is a common reason given by kids for dropping out of sport. Whilst the insistence on fun makes sense, we have done a poor job of defining it. If it is so imperative then we need a clear and detailed picture of what kids are referring to when they describe having fun. It is vital that we understand where and how kids derive enjoyment from their sporting participation if we are to make sure that these needs are catered for. Insights on how this might change as they progress on their journey are also necessary to ensure that the experience remains enjoyable.
‘the concept of fun is among the most badly understood in the sport field. We all too often use the concept and interpret the use of the term more restrictively than we should’
- Daryl Siedentop
The first challenge we face when seeking to deliver on the mission to keep youth sport fun is that ‘fun’ is a vague term. Fun means different things to different people and the interpretation of fun very much depends on the audience. The concept of ‘fun’ may differ between administrators, coaches, parents and the kids that we are seeking to serve. Ironically those who advocate for fun in the context of youth development often have very simplistic notions of what constitutes fun for kids.
It is worth taking the time and effort to unpack what kids mean when they refer to having fun. Too often this is just assumed or at least interpreted in a very narrow way. Clearly we need some clarity here and in general the situation calls for a more nuanced understanding of what constitutes fun for kids in the context of youth sport.
One of the few studies that took the trouble to elucidate what ‘fun’ meant in the context of kids’ participation in youth sports defined it as follows:
Fun in youth sports seems to be a positive mood state largely determined by perception of personal achievement and the matching of skills against a realistic challenge
- Wankel and Sefton, 1989
Fun and enjoyment are often used interchangeably and taken to be synonymous with each other. Investigating the question in terms of what brings enjoyment is arguably more useful as it offers a more expansive definition. One study that explored the factors associated with enjoyment in a mixed sample of youth sports athletes across a range of sports identified the following as the most important enjoyment factors: excitement of the sport, personal accomplishment, improving one's skills, testing skills against others and just doing the skills. There is some evidence that these associations become stronger as kids become older. Rated as intermediate importance were the social factors of being on a team and being with friends, respectively. Interestingly, factors relating to extrinsic rewards of winning ranked as least important.
Competitive sport is inherently exciting and engaging, so it follows that this would be a source of enjoyment. Another important insight is that the experience of fun and enjoyment often stems from a personal sense of achievement and feelings of accomplishment. Young athletes’ ratings of fun experienced in the context of competition are highly related to how well they felt they performed, which is somewhat distinct from the outcome of the contest or how the team as a whole fared.
It is also revealing that skill elements were a recurrent theme of the highest ranking enjoyment factors. Simply practising and performing skills is inherently satisfying and enjoyable. Likewise, part of the enjoyment derived from attending practice is the growing sense of capability it confers as kids become more competent and expand their skill set. Making progress and improving is not only rewarding and but also enjoyable.
The element of challenge is a big part of what makes participating in sport enjoyable. It is no fun when things are too easy. In accordance with this, another study of fun and enjoyment in competitive youth sport reported that ratings of enjoyment were related to how much kids felt they had been challenged. One caveat here is that this applies as long as the performer feels capable of rising to the challenge. The earlier definition of ‘fun’ in the context of youth sport referred to realistic challenge. The level of difficulty needs to be appropriate, such that the challenge is within reach or in the ‘zone of proximal development’, whereby it is just beyond their reach but nevertheless attainable with the assistance and guidance of a competent coach. The latter of course necessitates the provision of such support.
What these insights reveal is that we do a disservice to kids when we reduce the concept of ‘fun’ to something frivolous - as too often happens. This narrow and simplistic interpretation of fun limits the selection of activities to schoolyard games and obstacle courses with no clear purpose and questionable relevance to the sport. The keenly felt imperative for fun also encourages a hands-off approach - the assumption being that any involvement from grown-ups will make it less fun. With this approach the manner and degree of engagement is according to the whim of the individual. However, the lack of direction makes it very difficult to engage in a purposeful manner. It is hard to engage with intent when it is not clear what the point of the exercise is (if any). But what is perhaps most counterproductive is that the absence of guidance and feedback limits the opportunity for learning and improving.
This well-meaning but ultimately misguided approach is most common in physical education classes and more generally initiatives aimed at promoting participation. Ironically, by failing to account for many of the most important factors that might actually make the experience enjoyable, the end result tends to be disengagement.
Youth sports programmes that are more aimed at performance tend to have the opposite problem. Here the lack of fun and enjoyment more commonly stems either from being too rigid and prescriptive or placing too much emphasis on competitive outcomes (i.e. winning). Once again, part of the reason that this is not enjoyable is that it is not conducive to learning and developing because kids are discouraged from trying things and there is low tolerance for making mistakes. To guard against this, it is crucial that youth sports environments retain learning and making kids better as their north star. Coaches working with kids and parents alike should keep the focus on the process, such that success is judged according to how each kid has improved rather than competition outcomes and winning. An emphasis on learning with each competition also fosters enjoyment and engagement.
Kids do not need to win to enjoy the experience. Placing the emphasis on developing shifts the onus away from winning this week and keeps things enjoyable, such that kids remain engaged. If anything this makes it more likely that kids will enjoy success in the long run, as they will continue to become more adept - so this ultimately serves the performance objective. Moreover, as they expand their repertoire of skills and become more competent performers, kids will also derive greater enjoyment from participating in competition. In other words, this becomes a virtuous cycle.
There are other steps that coaches and youth sports organisations can take to facilitate enjoyment, notably by striving to incorporate an element of play in both practices and competition. For instance, coaches can encourage kids to play with different ways of doing things during practice. Allowing freedom to explore and experiment makes things more fun and also helps kids to learn. What differentiates this from the hands-off approach described earlier is that the discovery and problem-solving process is guided and facilitated by the coach. Feedback is offered and direction is provided, perhaps indirectly in the form of questions and suggestions.
There is also a place for games that incorporate sport skills and tactical elements. Once again the difference is that these games of skill and strategy are relevant to the sport directed towards a purpose. Purpose permits kids to participate with intent and so these games tend to be more engaging. These types of games provide ample opportunities for executing skills and testing their abilities against others, thus providing enjoyment. Such activities allow kids to develop their capabilities over time, which is also rewarding and enjoyable.
Finally, coaches can strive to promote an element of play during competition. Specifically, this can be achieved by encouraging kids to try things, express themselves and embrace any opportunity to test all the skills in their arsenal against the opposition or fellow competitors.