Benefits of Organized Sports for Children
Sometimes, the benefits of organized sports beyond ‘fun with friends’ aren’t clear to parents. It can be viewed as pulling away from studies or other important things in your children’s lives, or even dangerous to some extent. Before deciding whether or not your kiddos should be star athletes at such a young age, make sure you’re educated on why sports are still as important as ever.
When a child joins a sports team, they’re learning more than how to kick a football or shoot a ball into a hoop. What they’re learning is how to collaborate with kids their age to work towards a common goal. Even more than group projects, kids must participate with a large group of their peers to make something happen together. They must each learn why their role is essential, and how their position – whether it be on the basketball court, baseball diamond, or football field – can support and help every team member around them. This is a kind of teamwork that you don’t see in any other area of academia.
Even more, than learning how to be an effective team member, your child will learn how to take directions from an authority figure. A coach is someone a child looks up to, someone whose input a child trusts will make them better and more skillful, and that kind of direction-taking spills over into the classroom and even at home.
A final important benefit of getting your children onto sporting teams is the physical aspect. Children today aren’t as active as they used to be. There’s less playing outside and running around, and just PE class at school during the day may not be cutting it if they’re coming home as soon as the final bell rings and sitting in front of the TV or iPad for the evening, no matter what you try and get them to do. Enrolling in a sport promotes fun physical activity with friends, which develops muscular strength in children. It’s so important for kids to stay active and healthy, and it’s also important for them to have fun with friends! Sports combines the two in a structured environment.
Whether your child wants to play football or dance ballet getting them into an organized sport when their young has multiple benefits. It may not be for everyone, but it’s always at least worth a try!