If your child plays sports, then you know how much work the coach does to help each player grow and lead the team to success. Even if you don’t like the coach or don’t always agree with the coach, they still deserve to be thanked for their sacrifice.

Here are some great ideas for how you can say “Thank You” to your child’s coach:

Volunteer to help.

“Thank you” can be expressed in many ways. One very tangible way to express gratitude is to serve the team. Volunteer to help in any way you can. In order for coaches to focus on developing the team, they need help with planning events, administrative work, and communicating with parents. This is a “thank you” that your coach will truly appreciate.

 Thank you notes from you and your child.

Writing a letter may seem like a simple token of gratitude, but your words of thanks will mean more to the coach than you know. Coaches get many negative emails and letters from parents complaining about one thing or another, so a letter of gratitude from you and from your child will mean the world. Another idea is to have your child write a poem of thanks.

 Have the team sign and write on a ball or have all the kids write letters of appreciation to the coach.

Take the letter-writing one step further and have everyone on the team do it. That’s a present that the coach will never forget. Or have everyone on the team write a note on and sign a ball for the coach.

 Throw the coach a surprise thank you party.

Don’t wait until the end of the season for a “thank you” party. Do it mid-season just to let the coach know that you recognize and appreciate their sacrifices.

Support the coach by thanking them after each game.

Every coach enjoys hearing the words, “thank you, Coach” after each game. As you say thanks, expound on it a bit. “Thank you for all the time you give to these kids. We truly appreciate it.”

Thankful parents always meant a lot to my husband, coach for 30 years. There were always plenty of complaining parents and not enough thankful ones. Take a turn at coaching your child’s team one season and you will never again take a coach for granted!

Janis Meredith is a family life coach who wants to help all parents raise champions. You can find out more at rcfamilies.com.