Behavior Management

Aside from ensuring safety, effective behavior management is one of the most important elements for success in our programs (#1 Safety, #2 Behavior Management, #3 Fun). The videos below are designed to give you practical tools and strategies to help create a positive, supportive environment for all participants.

Remember, you’re never alone—your CARD Youth Sports team is here to support you every step of the way. If you have questions, concerns, or need guidance on handling behavior challenges, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Recreation Coordinator. We’re here to help before things become overwhelming—let us step in and support you!

Behavior management is a significant part of working with youth. It's not just about discipline or dealing with difficult behavior, but it's also about managing the behavior of the overall group and the environment. Every time we engage in behavior management, we are given a teaching opportunity. We are developing the youth in our care by teaching them the lessons they need to be successful.

We provide opportunities where participants will make mistakes in a safe environment, where they can learn and grow. It's an essential part of their character development and a chance to develop empathy. We are setting up the future. We are working to make each participant a future ethical leader and positive contributor to our communities. We are making a difference in children's lives and preparing them for adulthood. Not only does it make sure participants are safe, but it helps them grow as individuals, preparing them to deal with difficult situations in their adult lives.

Handout: Behavior Management Cheat Sheet

CARD Behavior Management Cheat Sheet

What is Behavior Management

Behaviors are a form of communication, and usually fill one of four functions:

Escape: end or avoid something
Get Attention: gain approval or recognition
Gain Something Tangible: receive an award or experience
Satisfy a Sensory Need: attain physical pleasure or relieve something that feels bad.

Behavior Management 101 Intro.mp4

Know Yourself...and Your Triggers

An escalated adult cannot de-escalate an escalated kid.

What to do if you are "escalated?"

If another staff is on-site, ask them to watch your participants, and take a 15-minute break away from the program (make sure to go out of the line of site of the program). Do some deep breaths, and know that it is okay to get annoyed, pissed, or angry- kids are difficult to deal with at times!
If no other staff is on-site, do not engage with your triggers. Instead, get through the program as necssary and contact the Recreation Director, Coordinator, or Supervisor to give them an update so we can help!
Call/text the Recreation Coordinator or Supervisor to vent!

Behavior Management 102 Know Yourself and Your Triggers.mp4

Know the Kids

Effective behavior management begins with genuinely knowing the kids in the program, not just as a group, but as unique individuals. Taking the time to learn each child’s name, interests, strengths, and dislikes helps build trust and connection, which are the foundation of positive behavior. When children feel seen and valued, they're more likely to engage, follow expectations, and respond to redirection. Understanding what motivates them, what may cause frustration, and even why they’re in the program (e.g., to build friendships, develop skills, or simply have fun) allows staff to proactively support their needs.

Strong relationships not only prevent many behavior issues from arising but also make it easier to guide children through challenges with empathy and effectiveness.

ALL STAFF SHOULD KNOW THE NAMES OF THE KIDS IN THEIR GROUP BY THE END OF THE FIRST SESSION!

Behavior Management 103 Know Your Kids.mp4

Prepare by Setting Clear Expectations

Prepare by familiarizing yourself with CARD's system and setting clear expectations with your participants. We have prepared our days to create a structure that allows participants to understand their responsibilities and reduces the likelihood of boredom or misbehavior.

We prepared by:

Building relationships (knowing your kids and gaining their respect)
Setting clear expectations
Creating a structure that is FUN

Building Relationships:

We build relationships through active supervision and engaging with participants. If there is downtime, staff should use this opportunity to talk with participants and get to know them better.

Setting Clear Expectations

Our Youth Sports rules are 1) Be Safe, 2) Be Respectful, 3) Be Responsible. Talk with your participants about the rules and how they can follow up. Have the kid come up with specific examples.

Creating Structure

We create structure by having a schedule that is followed, and making sure all participants know what the schedule is.

Remove barriers so everyone can play.
We are an electronic-free zone!
Post practice/program schedule for participants each day
Have a list of rules or team goals posted each day
Use a visual transition countdown for each activity/drill

Behavior Management Breakdown (updated 11.13.23)

Welcome Talk with Coach Sean.mp4

Redirect

Redirecting is a powerful and proactive behavior management tool that helps guide children away from negative behaviors by offering a positive or neutral alternative. Rather than focusing on what a child shouldn’t be doing, redirection shifts their attention toward a more appropriate activity or behavior, helping them reset without shame or confrontation. This technique works especially well when a child is showing early signs of frustration, boredom, or disruption, and can prevent situations from escalating.

Effective redirection requires staff to stay observant and engaged, offering clear, calm, and encouraging instructions that maintain the child’s dignity while keeping the program environment safe and positive.

Behavior Management 104 Redirect.mp4

Responding to Conflict

Behavior Management 105 Respond.mp4

Depending on the situation, separate the participants and speak with each individual to determine what happened. Once everyone is calm, bring them together to work on conflict resolution, helping them develop self-regulation skills.

The Director will have the participants (or assist them) in filling out the Program Notification below. Whenever a Program Behavior Notification is completed, the participant's parent must be updated and sign the Notification. All Behavior Notifications should remain on-site at the program for tracking purposes.

Program Behavior Notification

Responding to Unsafe Behavior

When responding to unsafe behavior, staff must act quickly, calmly, and consistently to ensure the safety of all participants. If a child engages in unsafe actions—such as hitting, kicking, throwing objects aggressively, running away from staff, or refusing to follow critical safety instructions—a Behavior Notification or Behavior Contract should be issued once the situation is under control. This form encourages the child to reflect on their behavior, while also documenting the incident and informing the parent or guardian at pick-up.

If the unsafe behavior is severe—including physical aggression that causes or threatens harm, elopement from the program site, repeated defiance of safety rules, or any behavior that puts themselves or others in significant danger—the parent should be called immediately and a Behavior Contract should be issued, bypassing the typical Behavior Notification progression. Severe incidents indicate a higher level of risk and require a meeting with the parent, child, Director, and/or Recreation Coordinator to determine whether the child can safely remain in the program.

Behavior Management 106 Responding to Unsafe Behavior.mp4

Behavior Contract

Use a Behavior Notification when a child does not respond to an initial redirection—such as a “Take a Breath” prompt—and continues to exhibit inappropriate behavior. This tool is designed to encourage self-reflection, helping the child understand the impact of their actions and how to make better choices. It also provides a clear, documented communication path between staff and families.

In contrast, a Behavior Contract is used for ongoing disruptive behaviors or more serious incidents (e.g., running away, physical altercations, or other unsafe actions). For recurring issues, it’s essential to inform the parent at the time of the final Behavior Notification that a Behavior Contract will be the next step.

The Behavior Contract process includes a meeting with the parent, child, Director, and/or Recreation Coordinator to review expectations and outline a clear plan for success. This meeting serves as the child’s final opportunity to remain in the program. If the contract is broken, removal from the program for the rest of the season/year or a pre-determined time will follow.

Behavior Response Chart

Attention Getters

Playful attention getters and other signals add fun to your program while make it easier to see and hear instructions needed to accomplish the next task.

Be prepared with at least 2 attention getters before your first day on-site!

Transitions

Transition – that dreaded time when students move from place to place. Participants don’t like it because it takes time and is boring. Coaches don’t like it because it takes time and is difficult to manage. Participants have a hard time being quiet, keeping their hands to themselves, and traveling so that they don’t bother other participants. Sound familiar?

Help make transitions more fun for participants and staff alike by keeping participants engaged getting in line, standing in line or walking to the next location. Try any of these five ideas.

To get participants in line:
I Spy. Explain that when you say, “I spy,” every child needs to stop what he/she is doing, listen, and respond with, “What do you spy?” Say something like, “I spy children dancing in one place,” or “I spy a rock star silently playing a guitar.” The students act out that idea until you again say, “I spy.” Then all the students stop what they are doing and respond with, “What do you spy?” The game continues with you suggesting other ideas such as, “I spy children waving their arms.” After playing awhile, say “I spy students lining-up quietly.”

Engaging participants who are in line waiting for something (such as their turn in the bathroom):
Rain. The leader starts by rubbing his/her hands together. The person next to him/her does the same and so on, until everyone is doing the action. When all are rubbing their hands, the leader starts a new sound, soft finger snapping, then soft hand clapping, next soft thigh slapping, soft foot stomping. To END the storm, reverse the actions. At the end, the group one by one stops rubbing hands.

Writing in the Air. Have each child turn sideways with their right hand on their right shoulder. (If left-handed-do it on the left) Ask them to write words or numbers in the air using their right elbow. You could say, “Write (or print) your name,” “Write the name of your favorite food,” “Write your address,” etc. Then have them turn and put their left elbow on their left shoulder and continue the activity.

Engaging participants while they are walking:
Simon Says. The line leader does an action and the rest of the students in line follow. It could be a bubble in the mouth, hands by the sides, finger to their lips, waving, etc. The teacher can lead (walk backward so students can see the actions) or the line leader for the day can be the leader.

If You’re Happy and You Know it…. Lead students in activities while they are walking by asking them to try different actions. Begin with if you’re happy and you know it, then an action, such as wave your hand, step up high, whisper “school name”, and do all three.

Some other ideas include:

Stealthy Ninja transition
Jungle Walk transition
Animal transition
Line of Silence transition
Paparazzi Line transition

This is the end of the virtual training!

Add 60 minutes to your WhenIWork for the time to review all the information. Add a note to the time that states "Youth Sports Virtual Orientation."

To check out other available resources (some of which will be covered in the in-person Classroom Training), click "Next."

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