Why You Should Encourage Your Kids to Give Sports a Go
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Exercise is good for everyone, no matter how young or old they are and playing sport is a great way of getting the exercise your body and mine needs. People who exercise on a regular basis are less likely to be obese, less likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and mental health problems. It should therefore, be no shock that many parents try to encourage their children to take up a sport, and that often that sport stays as a lifelong interest. There are other reasons why sports are good for children too.
It Provides Comradeship
Being part of a sports team can help children to make new friends, especially if it is an out of school activity, and every mom wants their kids to have lots of friends, right? By training and playing with other children they learn how to interact and many of them make friendships that will last for years. It can help with their communication skills as well, as they will do more face-to-face talking than they normally do. They may be brilliant at messaging on their digital device, but there is nothing as good as actually speaking with other people. It will also teach them teamwork, and how a team will have to work together to succeed.
Even if their sport does not involve a team, but is something like tennis or wresting that relies on their own skills, they could still be training with other children, so the same things still apply. When they put on one of their wrestling singlets it might be to get into a ring on their own, but their friends from the club they have joined will be there to encourage them to do well.
It Will Teach Them That There Has To Be A Loser
There is always a winner and a loser in any game, and that is a valuable lesson for them to learn. They need to know that there is no shame in being on the losing team. Most of us will know someone that is a sore loser and will know that playing with them takes the fun out of a game. By learning how it feels to lose, and that they should congratulate the winners will help them build some resilience to problems in life.
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It Will Teach Them Respect
Every game has its own rules and regulations that have to be followed. If they do not do this they will be punished in some way, so obeying the rules is important if they want to avoid this situation. Playing sports helps them to appreciate following rules, and to respect those in authority that impose them. In fact, it is a good way for them to meet and have to deal with people of authority that are not their parents or teachers.
It Will Show Dedication Can Pay Off
If they practice hard at their chosen sport and then do well in a match, they will learn that dedication and hard work pay off. They will realize this even more if they do not go to training for a while, and then do not play too well. It will show them that dedication is needed for success, and this applies to many areas of their future lives.
It Will Boost Their Self Esteem
Playing a sport can do wonders for their self-esteem. They do not have to be winners all the time for this to happen, they just need to know they have tried their best.
Sports provide a positive emotional experience, and the earlier your kids start playing them the better.
