Unlocking the game within the child: a youth sport pedagogy model from the U.S.

The positive and appropriate development of children through youth sport is of the utmost importance. The quality of this experience can also have a direct effect on their life-long engagement in physical activity and sport (Newman et al., 2018). The Game in the Child Model was designed on the premise that you must first learn how to teach the child before you can teach them to play the sport and is most beneficial for children 12 years of age and younger. This foundational premise guides all other components of the model from a philosophical as well as a developmental level. These guiding factors consist of four levels beginning with child characteristics (how they think, feel, grow), coach characteristics (their past and present experiences), organizational characteristics (type and purpose). The leads to gaining a better understanding of how play can be used as a tool for growth and development within an athlete-centered environment. The final two levels address a game-based pedagogical approach that reflects the first two levels with the goal of unlocking the Game within the Child. The model also recognizes the importance of the child’s social, economic, and political influences through the envelopment of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory (1975, 1977).