The Benefits of Sports Participation for Early Learners
Parents and education stakeholders have been encouraging children to take part in sports and physical activities since the early days of Greek civilization. Most children will find one sport or hobby that they can participate in and achieve some level of success. It takes a combination of the child themselves, the parents, and the educators to find. What sport is suitable for the child.
Investing in the physical education of children is an investment that will pay off dividends in the long run. As a healthy and active lifestyle is a learned behaviour that can be carried on through adulthood. It is not just the physical attributes that are shaped through sports activities. A child’s character will be developed through the teamplay and collaboration skills established. A sense of fair play, winning, and losing, ethics, morality, rules, and regulations are established with the playing of sports from a young age. Social skills are developed and friendships formed through the playing of sports.
Team sports such as football and kids basketball allow children to work hard individually and as a team towards a common goal. A respect for authority is also learned in these team games.
The average person spends over six hours a day on their mobile phone or device with internet access. With the new wave of digital native students growing up surrounded by online technology the importance in establishing a routine away from the screen is not only important for their physical health, but for their mental health also. Sports activity can help reduce stress and anxiety among children, teenagers, and adults. Children who take part is sports are more likely to become honest, healthy and well-balanced.
As parents and educators, we should not place unreasonable expectations and unachievable goals on children. But encourage them to develop their physical and mental skills in their chosen sports activity. This can be done by joining local clubs and participating in school-led events. We should be open-minded about which activity a child wishes to pursue. While the thought of martial arts might cause alarm, it is a great activity to boost a child’s confidence and discipline.
We should let children first get used to new sports, accept it, and let it become part of his or her everyday life. Results, achievements, medals and awards may come later on, though they require a lot of hard work, discipline and sacrifice.
As long as children are involved in sports activities, all their senses, muscles, and intellectual capacities are fully engaged. By playing sports your child will not only become stronger mentally, and physically. They will learn how to overcome any obstacles and challenges in their future lives and work as a team to overcome difficulties.
The Australian government is looking to encourage kids sports across the board. “Every child should have the opportunity to enjoy participating in sport and physical activity throughout these formative years.”
