Me - the biggest role model for my children’s sport and movement

Have you ever noticed how your children look at you? Not only when you meet their eyes and talk to them, but especially in the moments when you’re not aware of it. They watch. They learn. They copy. Not so much what you say - but what you do.

As someone who is deeply into sport and an active lifestyle, I often catch myself wondering: do we actually live the example we want for our children? Or do we just take them to practice, celebrate their achievements, encourage them to push harder, all while we sit in the car, scroll on the couch, or already think about tomorrow’s meetings. Too often, it seems like sport belongs to the children’s world, while “real life” for adults means work, home, obligations, fatigue, and lack of time. But what does that really teach? That movement is part of childhood, not a lifestyle for life. That as adults, we don’t have to, can’t, or won’t keep it up. But our children need role models!

Children don’t need a perfect athlete - they need a real-life role model for an active lifestyle!

It’s easy to say: “I don’t have time to exercise.” But children don’t expect you to run marathons or go to the gym every day. What they expect and need, is to see that sport and movement are also part of an adult’s everyday life.

👉 Practical tip: Do at least one activity each week together with your child or the whole family, like a walk, a bike ride, morning stretches, a weekend hike. The possibilities are endless!

Don’t think of movement only as “training,” but as shared quality time.

Words teach, but example shapes!

You can say ten times: “Sport is important.” But if your child sees you every evening exhausted on the couch, spending their trainings sitting in the car or near the gym, or hears you talk about how “terribly busy” your life is, then they will make the connection that giving up sport and movement is simply what adulthood looks like. Children record the experience and build their idea of what “adult life” means.

👉 Practical tip: When your child goes to practice, don’t just sit and wait. Use that time for your own movement - go for a run or walk nearby, use the gym yourself, or handle work tasks while moving (for example, walking during calls). Even 15 minutes during every practice shows that movement is part of your time management, not a luxury.

Movement as a role model for self-care and mental balance

We all want our children to grow into confident, balanced, and mentally strong individuals. But that can’t be taught with words alone. When a child sees their mother or father go for a walk after a stressful workday, and consciously make time for exercise instead of sinking into Netflix and stress, they learn that movement is an essential tool for mental health. Sport is about finding peace of mind, releasing tension, maintaining balance, and developing yourself. And when children see this, not just hear “sport is good”, they begin to understand through experience why it truly matters.

👉 Practical tip: After a workday, ask yourself: Am I showing my children how an adult takes care of themselves? Go for a quick 10-minute walk outside, or do a short set of push-ups, sit-ups, and squats, and explain to your child that this is your moment. Trust that this will stay with them.

In conclusion. Allow yourself to be an imperfect role model, but still a role model. You don’t need to be a weekly running club member or a full Ironman finisher. It’s enough for your child to see that movement and sport are a natural part of life. The example doesn’t have to be big or perfect - it just has to be real, because the choices we make today shape the habits of tomorrow.

Nelli Pormeister