My oldest (11) is losing interest in sports and all he wants to do is play video games. Just looking for ideas that may work for some to balance this. It’s not as easy as saying to take them away and “force” him to do other things… video games have become almost a way of socialization these days (all the quarantine days enforced by school) so it is different from when I grew up. Sports seem to improve his mental health so that’s my main reason to push him into them more than he wants right now. Unfortunately he has a history of self harm. We have tried counseling with different counselors over the years and nothing seems to really help him. Sports seem to help balance him the most and the socialization while actively participating seems to make him so much happier. Which he doesn’t see right now because he is a kid. Advice
Maybe try reward system.
For every hour of sports that he does whether it’s training or games or practice or just running if he has to run for his sport he can have 30 minutes of video game time. It’s really no different than pay your child for doing chores.