The advent of technology has now made everyone’s lives easier – and the same is very true for parents. With different apps and software available today, it’s now very easy for parents to teach their children lessons about alphabets, numbers, and colors. They can simply download the app or software, and let their children play with the device for hours in order to learn. But on the other side of the coin, technology isn’t all good because excessive exposure to digital screens can also make children at risk of the effects of childhood obesity and other chronic illnesses.
In this era of digital parenting, getting your children off the TV and internet in exchange for some sports for kids isn’t easy. But once you understand the wide range of social, physical, and mental benefits they stand to gain, you won’t stop at anything.
It doesn’t matter how old your child is. You will want to instill in them physical activity habits, which will groom them for adulthood. Not yet convinced?
Here are some of the top 5 reasons why you should make sports an absolute must for your kids. Read on!
1: Enhances the Development of Social Skills
Your child gains their first social skills from their immediate environment. The development of social skills, is, therefore, a vital part of parenting that you shouldn’t ignore. And since childhood habits reflect the adulthood life of your child, the early you start the better.
Team-based activities are for instance known for their great impact in this area. Here, your child gets to learn how to express themselves to others, listening to the needs of their teammates and participating in problem-solving.
Playing sports can be a great avenue for your kids to stop using digital screens and play with their peers instead. Through playing sports, your kids will gradually expand their social circle and meet more and more peers as the years go by. Being surrounded with sports-minded individuals will make it very easy for your kid to be adaptable and sociable as they grow up.
2: Keeps Your Child Fit and Healthy
Kids not only feel happy when indulging in some physical activities, but they also achieve peace of mind. And with this, their concentration level improves.
Also, the purposeful physical coordination helps in strengthening various body muscles, which in the long-run leads to a strong immune system.
And sports here can also be recreational games such as table tennis or foosball that improve hand-eye coordination among kids.
The World Health Organization (WHO), also acknowledges that kids that are sports are less prone to life-threatening health conditions, such as diabetes and obesity.
Introducing sports early to your kids and encouraging them to play as they grow up will teach them the importance of staying fit and healthy. Having this kind of mindset will encourage your kids to do the same even if they become a teen and adult.
3: Teaches them The Essence of Respect
When your child becomes part of a sporting team, they learn to respect others. They get to understand that sometimes things don’t have to go their way. And while working to prove their worth within the team, kids come across rules, leaders, opponents, teammates; all of which demand mutual respect.
Respect is undoubtedly essential. They discover it. Embrace and build their expectations around it.
4: Helps Them Build Long-life Friendships
Friendships develop from familiarity and commonality. When your child participates in physical activities, they get to mingle with other like-minded kids. With time, they discover the type(s) of activity they prefer, hobbies such as interior design, coloring, dancing, etc. And with that, settle into respective solidified teams. It’s through this that they get to associate themselves with others. Through the sharing of experiences and general outlook on life, friendships blossom. Such friendships are the purest form and tend to last a lifetime.
The friendships that your kids will create through playing sports will make it very easy for them to transition through different phases of life. When they have a friend who plays sports with them, they will have someone to talk to whenever they have problems as they get older. This is especially important if you only have one child.
5: Contributes To Academic Excellence
If you have been thinking that sports are more distracting than benefitting for your school-going children, then you have been wrong all along. Why? Child development experts advise that participating in sporting activities boosts the performance of kids in school.
This is because, when a child participates in sporting activities, their energy levels instantly rises. And at the end of the day, this “excessive” translates to more focus and creativity, which are both essential in academic performance.
Your Role Matters
Letting your kids play sports can be very beneficial to their overall health and wellness. Aside from keeping them busy throughout the day, playing sports can also teach your kids valuable life lessons that they can use even as they get older. However, since most kids are hooked to digital screens, introducing sports to them might be challenging. In some cases, your kids might even dismiss the idea of playing sports and would prefer playing with their tablets or smartphones.
But as a parent or guardian, if you are committed to letting your kids enjoy the benefits of playing sports, you should exert time and effort in introducing this activity to them. Let them try out different types of sports so they can determine which they like the most.
