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Home > Parent's Resource List

Parent's Resource List

A list of organizations, books and Web sites for parents of female sports participants.

Published: May 19, 2004

ORGANIZATIONS
Where to go and who to contact to find out more about girls and sports:

Women's Sports Foundation   
Eisenhower Park
East Meadow, NY 11554
800-227-3988
516-542-4700
www.WomensSportsFoundation.org
wosport@aol.com

American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) and/or
National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS)
1900 Association Drive
Reston, VA 20191- 1598
703-476-3400 (AAHPERD) or 703-476-3453 (NAGWS)
www.aahperd.org/nagws/nagws.html
nagws@aahperd.org

Dads and Daughters
2 W 1st St #101
Duluth, MN 55802
888-824-DADS
www.dadsanddaughters.org
info@dadsanddaughters.org

National Youth Sport Coaches Association
A division of the National Alliance for Youth Sports
2050 Vista Parkway
West Palm Beach, FL 33411
800-729-2057
407-684-1141
www.nays.org
nays@nays.org

President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201
202-690-9000
www.fitness.gov

Youth Sports Institute
IM Sports Circle
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-6689
http://ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/ysi/
YTHSPRTS@msu.edu

For profit:
American Sport Education Program
PO Box 5076
Champaign, IL 61820
800-747-5698
217-351-5076
www.humankinetics.com
asep@hkusa.com

Provides courses in coaching and sports first aid to parents and coaches nationwide:
National Recreation and Park Association
22377 Belmont Ridge Road
Ashburn, VA 20148
703-858-0784
www.nrpa.org
info@nrpa.org

You may also contact your local YWCA, Girls' Club, Girl Scout Council, Girls, Inc. group, etc. to find out what programs might be offered in your area. If you want to know more about a particular sport or the availability of sports opportunities for disabled girls, call or write the national governing body for that sport. To get the addresses and phones numbers for the national governing bodies, contact:
The United States Olympic Committee
1750 East Boulder Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
719-632-5551
www.usoc.org

BOOKS

101 Ways to be a Terrific Sports Parent (2003). Fish, J. New York: Simon & Schuster. Sport psychologist Dr. Joel Fish takes the guesswork out of parenting a child in sports today. For parents of athletes of all skill levels, he offers concrete and practical advice on how to make sports a fun and positive experience for kids and parents. The book covers these topics: know if you're over- or under- involved as a sport parent, teach kids how to handle competitive stress, help cool the competition between rival siblings, find the right sport for your child, even if he's talented and she seems disinterested, handle your child's interest in extreme sports like downhill biking and skateboarding, discuss issues like playing time and performance with your child's coach, parenting a superstar athlete, and help for single moms and divorced parents.

A Parent's Guide to Girls' Sports (1999). Bilingual (England/Spanish). Women's Sports Foundation, Eisenhower Park, East Meadow, NY 11554. Available free. May be downloaded from the Web site. Practical information about the value of sports for girls, types of activities appropriate for girls of different ages, guidelines for creating a positive experience for girls in sports, advice concerning the parent/child/coach relationship, how parents can get involved in their daughter's sports experience and resources for further information.

Games Girls Play: Understanding and Guiding Young Female Athletes (2001). Silby, C., New York: St. Martin's Press. Many people know that girls who play sports tend to have higher levels of self-esteem than their non-active peers, not to mention fitter, healthier bodies. But few really understand that it takes more than just signing up for the neighborhood soccer team to ensure that they get the most out of their athletic participation. In Games Girls Play, the author gives indispensable advice about not only encouraging girls to participate in sports, but also making sure their experiences as athletes are healthy and empowering.

Go Girl: Raising Healthy Confident and Successful Girls through Sports (2002). Storm, H., Illinois: Sourcebooks, Inc. Go Girl! is the ultimate guide to making sure that young girls take to life with confidence, passion and a love of the game. In addition to providing insight into how to handle issues such as coaching, sportsmanship and health concerns, the author includes creative exercises, answers to common questions, a quiz that determines readiness to play a team sport, a nutritional guide and weight management program and much more.

GoGirlGo! (2003). Women's Sports Foundation, Eisenhower Park, East Meadow, NY 11554. Available free. www.GoGirlGo.com. The GoGirlGo! Project is designed to assist coaches, teachers, athletic directors and adult leaders in the sport or physically active environment. Your own group of “GoGirls” is looking for support and guidance as they face adolescence. You play a critical role as they learn positive, realistic ways to cope with the pressures they encounter and to avoid behavior that leads to health risks. Topics covered include: dating, body image, diversity and tolerance, dealing with bullies, smoking, drugs and stress. Using our free materials will help make your job easy, fun and, most of all, could make a big difference for girls aged 8 to 18.

Good Sports: A Concerned Parent's Guide to Little League and Other Competitive Sports (1993). Wolff, R., New York: Dell. Good Sports is a definitive guide to the value of good sportsmanship, safety, competition and, above all else, fun. Sports psychologist Wolff examines sensitive issues such as handling talented players and accommodating slow learners. He analyzes our obsession with Little League baseball and why parents argue with coaches and umpires. The book's most significant feature is its emphasis on six golden rules: get involved; monitor your behavior; be positive and approving in your feedback; remember that it is the child's life and not yours; and, lastly, work at having fun.

Moms and Dads: Kids and Sports (1988). McNally, P., New York: Scribner. The author's principal emphasis is on the role parents play and should play in helping their children adjust to athletics, because, in his view, good parental guidance is essential to success. He urges mothers and fathers not to fear failure or loss of prestige when their children do not excel but to be motivated by love and striving for inner peace. He covers such topics as nutrition, health and safety, conditioning and equipment. His book is an excellent guide for moms and dads whose offspring are average athletes as well as for those whose kids may be future stars.

Nice on My Feelings: Nurturing the Best in Children and Parents (1995). Orlick, T., Ontario, Canada: Creative Bound. In Nice on My Feelings parents learn how to respect their own needs, keep the magic in their lives, take care of themselves and stay positive. Parents also discover how to open the door to human potential: express love, be "nice on children's feelings", nurture cooperation and empathy, play vs. race with life, and strengthen their children's belief in themselves.
   
Parenting Your Superstar: How to Help Your Child Get the Most Out of Sports (1987). Bunker, L.K & R.J. Rotella, Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. This practical book will help you make the most of your child's sports experience. It includes advice on how to encourage your child's sports interest, balance the demands of sport with your family's needs, choose the best sport experience for your child, help your child set realistic goals and achieve them, work with your child's coaches, help your child become confident and secure, teach sport skills to your child and prevent injuries.

The Parent's Playbook: Developing a Gameplan for Maximizing Your Child's Athletic Experience (2002). Stankovich, C. and T. Kays, Ohio: Champion Athletic Consulting. A comprehensive manual that tackles the critical issues surrounding youth sports. It gives parents and coaches the tools needed to help children succeed in sports and life. Respected sport psychologists Dr. Christopher Stankovich and Dr. Todd Kays reveal techniques to promote a fun and enriching athletic environment, develop essential communications skills, and use mental training to achieve peak performance on and off the field.

Playing like a Girl (2001). Betancourt, M., New York: Contemporary Books. More and more women and girls are discovering the joy and relishing the fierce competition of team sports. Their increasing participation in sports is influencing all aspects of women's−and men's−lives. Playing Like a Girl explores the ramifications of this sports revolution, such as the change in male-female relationships, the impact on women in the workplace, the long-term effects of Title IX and the phenomenon of men coaching women.

Raising Our Athletic Daughters: How Sports can Build Self-Esteem and Save Girls' Lives (1998). Zimmerman, J., New York: Double Day. A comprehensive look at the impact of sports in girls' lives as well as a guide for parents eager to see their daughters succeed. The authors interviewed girls and their parents to explore how sport can counteract the negative messages and experiences of girls. Here are first-hand stories from the inner cities and rural playgrounds across the United States offering compelling evidence that participation in athletics makes an extraordinary difference in the lives of young girls.

SportParent, American Sport Education Program (1994). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Practical and easy-to-read reference that will guide parents as they support their child's participation in sport. The book shows parents how they can become active partners with coaches to provide children with beneficial, enjoyable, and safe sport experiences.

Sportswise: An Essential Guide for Young Athletes, Parents, and Coaches (1990). Micheli, L.J., Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Designed to show parents how to work with school and community leaders to provide the best sports and fitness experiences for children. Common sports injuries are explained and instruction on proper nutrition, conditioning, coaching and evaluation is given. Special sections for drug and alcohol abuse, psychological stress, female athletes and the physically handicapped are included.

The Double-Goal Coach (2003). Thompson, J., New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. The Double-Goal Coach is filled with powerful coaching tools based on Jim Thompson's Positive Coaching Alliance. These strategies reflect the “best-practices” of elite coaches and the latest research in sports psychology. The book provides the framework for coaches and parents to transform youth sports so sports can transform youth, allowing young athletes to enjoy sports while learning valuable life lessons.

The Total Sports Experience for Kids: A Parents' Guide to Success in Youth Sports (1997). Fine, A.H. & M.L. Sachs, South Bend, IN: Diamond Communications. Clarifies and explains what children need and what parents should know to make the sporting years the most memorable and successful for all. Tells the reader how to foster confidence and self-esteem in young athletes, what to look for in a coach, covers the spectrum of sport choices and provides many good resources for more information.

Youth Sports & Self-Esteem: A Guide for Parents (1993). Burnett, D.J., Indianapolis: Masters Press. Gives readers specific and practical guidelines for promoting kids' self-esteem through youth sports. Complete with colorful examples, cartoons, photographs and several checklists and charts, this book brings into focus what youth sports are really about: fun.

Coaching Your Kids To Be Leaders (2005) Williams, P., New York: Warner Faith. Williams draws on more than 800 interviews and written responses to distill the wisdom of today's leaders in this practical down-to-earth guide for giving our children the best possible start in life. Including ways to spot leadership ability, tips on public speaking, people skills, qualities of good character, ways to teach strategic boldness, motivate young leaders, and ways to be a hero to young leaders and much much more.

WEB SITES

www.dadsanddaughters.org
www.daughters.com
www.daughters-sisters.com
www.familyeducation.com
www.melpomene.org
www.parent-teen.com
www.parentsoup.com/teens
www.pleasestoptherollercoaster.com/parenting-teenagers.html
www.talkingwithkids.org
www.WomensSportsFoundation.org