Is your child feeling low lately? Has he/she becomes lethargic and remained indoors mostly? Get him/her involved in sports. Not only will the physical activity involved in any sport help your child maintain good health but will boost his mood as well. The result – your child will be in good shape physically and he/she will be in a happy state of mind.
The enhancement of the physical and mental development of children is certainly the most important contribution of sports for children.
Let us see how sports bring positive changes in children’s bodies as well as in their minds.
1) It boosts self-esteem
One major benefit of playing sports is that child will have to play in a team. Being part of one team with a common objective will boost your child’s self-esteem as he/she will feel a valuable part of a unit. Every little or big contribution they can make to the team, in the capacity of a leader of a helping hand, will increase their confidence and sense of self-worth. Children also learn to win with class and lose with dignity.
2) Teaches discipline
Every sport requires the player or the team to maintain and practice discipline. To succeed in any sport, one must have self-restraint and learn to behave in a controlled manner in whatever situation he or she is in. Playing sports will instil discipline in your child that will help him/her later in life in various other situations.
3) Helps develop motor and cognitive skills
Do you know that sports do not only develop physical skills? There is always a goal to reach in sports such as hitting the ball with the bat, scoring a goal using the feet, etc. While doing this, children learn new skills like dribbling, using the bat, and learning to focus on the ball. This helps develop their motor and cognitive skills.
4) Enables kids to make friends and develop social skills
During their growing up years, children may face some difficulty in making friends. Sports can help in this matter as when playing sports, children meet children of their own age group. It requires children to interact and play as a team. What results from this is the beginning of new friendships, which will have a positive impact on your child’s health and happiness.
5) Promotes healthy competition
Sports involve competition in some form or the other. While many people may say competition can lead to fights and disunity, on the contrary, it is helpful. Why? As children grow, they will face competition in every sphere of life, whether it be the workplace, school, or later in their personal relationships. Sports will help them deal with competition in a calm and composed manner. Children will learn to view competition as an opportunity to learn from success as well as failures.
6) Builds character
Children who play sports can serve as good role models to other children. Playing sports early enables children to participate in social interactions and build key social skills. This, in turn, will teach children to develop and practice various mental and moral qualities they learn from the field.
So, there are many parents even now unsupportive towards their children’s dream of becoming a sportsman. However, to prepare a strong, independent child, sports are the key components.
