Healthy Boundaries and Positive Teamwork Define Safer Sport Settings 

As a parent or guardian, you are always there to support your young athlete—be it driving them to practice or washing another load of sweaty jerseys. But you can play an even bigger role in your child’s sport experience by promoting positive and supportive teamwork. Help your child foster a stronger team dynamic by teaching them to:

• Support their teammates and cheer them on

•  Model kindness and stand up against bullying

• Make everyone on the team feel welcome and included

And help them learn to protect themselves and their teammates by creating and respecting boundaries. Your child should understand when touch is appropriate. They should also be empowered to say “Stop” and report any touch that is out of bounds. 

We’ve created “It’s Your Body,” a short, animated video to help you explore this topic with your young athlete. Watch it together to help them learn about boundaries and their right to enforce them.

Parents and guardians, for more resources and to explore how we support athletes at the highest level of sport, visit our Paris Games webpage.

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At the U.S. Center for SafeSport, we believe every athlete should play in a sport environment where they feel respected and safe. Engaged parents and guardians can help build settings like these by championing safety for all participants.