Why Should Children Play A Sport?

It’s great to see the kids play and have fun. For them, their playtime is the only thing important in the world. It is also great for them to have a sport since it helps them strengthen the muscles and lungs.

Some children who play a sport often have tutors or coaches. If they have it, it all changes. It’s no longer just about having fun. Scoring goals or getting points becomes more serious.

A sport offers children unique development opportunities. And they do not have to be future “sports stars” to benefit from having a sport.

To commit to something and respect this commitment

Organized sports give children a good dose of discipline. They have to change clothes, warm up, prepare mentally, compete and control victories or defeats. In addition, there may be certain times during the week they need to train for a match. When they practice a sport, they have an obligation they need to respect.

Some days the child will enjoy the sport more than others. But since they are part of a team and a core component of it, they must contribute every time they are called. Thus, sports can help children learn to organize their lives. They are also trained to activate willpower when they need it most.

To cope with expectations

Even from an early age, children must perform as best they can when practicing a sport. Children often realize that they can have their own defeats. For example, as when at the beginning of a sport they can not meet their high expectations and lose hope. Thus, sports will help them learn and regulate expectations and only increase them when they give their best.

In addition, a sport gives children the opportunity to learn to deal with defeat and brush the dust off themselves for the next match. A child will even be able to reflect on and understand how others’ expectations affect their choices and performance.

In addition, a sport teaches children to deal with frustration and self-controlled anger. Here we as parents have a special opportunity to intervene and teach our children to have a constructive internal dialogue. We should teach them not to punish themselves. The best thing we can do is help them and guide them when they are still young. Our words will have more influence before adolescence sets in and their peers begin to influence them more.

When children play a sport, they sharpen their senses

Sport has many similarities with reality. For example, on the court there are people playing on your side and supporting you, just like in real life. In team sports, children learn that they are not alone. They realize that they are sharing interests with a group of people (winning or getting a good result). Furthermore, they learn that they get better results if they learn to trust their teammates and support them.

They learn that they can turn a project around that does not start well with effort and intelligence. A goal against them or a bad start does not necessarily mean that they will lose. Such setbacks only mean that it becomes a little harder to win, but not that it is impossible to win. They also learn that there are certain things others cannot do for them, such as organizing the game strategy or moving their legs quickly.

But perhaps the most important parallel is that when children play a sport, they learn to take advantage of the opportunities. They learn that even if they can overcome a bad start with extra effort, a good start or getting the ball in front of the opponent can give them a big advantage.

Children who play a sport learn to pay attention

Sports are excellent ways for children to improve their ability to pay attention for an extended period of time. This is especially good for them because their prefrontal cortex is still developing. It is the part of the brain that is responsible for organizing behavior and making decisions.

Although playing sports has many benefits, children should never stop having fun and enjoying themselves. Perhaps the best thing about childhood sports is that it helps children form their first friendships. Sports courts are proving to be one of the most common arenas for good childhood memories.