Training Up Athletic Kids: The Work of Training in the Spiritual and the Natural

Today’s blog post will focus on ways to balance discipline, faith, and character while raising children who compete with purpose both on and off the field. I am excited to write this post because there is something powerful about watching your child grow through athletics. Prior to having children, I coached cheerleading and taught dance through a youth non-profit organization. The beauty about athletics is that you not only see the physical strength develop in your children over time, but you also begin to witness emotional maturity, discipline, resilience, and confidence taking shape right in front of you. This blog post will feature a quick Christian-based perspective and encouragement for moms.

Spiritual and Natural

Raising children who are involved in sports and extracurricular activities requires training in the natural, but it also requires training in the spiritual.

While we are helping our children to strengthen their abilities, it also opens a door to helping them strengthen their faith, character, and relationship with God. Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Training is intentional. It does not happen by accident. Just as athletes improve through repetition and consistency, our walk with the Lord Jesus requires intentional teaching, prayer, and guidance.

As parents, we can leverage that momentum to help them see how the same dedication they apply to their sports can also strengthen their relationship with God. Rather than treating faith as something separate from their extracurricular experiences, we can help our children connect the two.

Firm Foundation

Here are a few ways to build upon that foundation:

Connect practice to prayer. Just as they set aside time to practice their skills, encourage them to set aside time each day to pray and spend time with God.

Use wins and losses as teaching moments. Celebrate accomplishments, but also discuss humility, gratitude, perseverance, and trusting God when things do not go as planned.

Help them see God in the journey. Whether they are experiencing success or facing setbacks, encourage them to look for what God may be teaching them in the process.

---

Personal Reflection

Celebrate character and perspective, not just results. When my daughter’s relay team finished 8th at the Junior Olympics, missing the podium by just .05 seconds, there was disappointment. But instead of focusing on what they missed, we celebrated the relay medal they had already earned and applauded the athletes who made the podium. Moments like these teach our children that success is not always measured by medals but in our ability to embrace wins and losses.

Track Mom Life: Navigating a Sports Filled Summer

---

Teach them that preparation is biblical. Help them see that diligence and hard work are gifts from God. Success often follows preparation, both naturally and spiritually.

Pray before competitions, performances, and events. Shift the focus from simply winning to honoring God through their effort, attitude, and sportsmanship.

Both are Necessary

The natural training teaches our children how to compete, but spiritual training teaches them how to live. Both are necessary. While athletic ability may open doors, character, wisdom, and faith are what sustain them once they walk through those doors.

I’d love to hear from you. How are you intentionally training your children both spiritually and naturally as they pursue sports, arts, or other extracurricular activities? Share your experiences, lessons learned, or favorite scriptures in the comments. Your story may be exactly the encouragement another mom needs today.