Why Sports Are Important for Child Development

Playing sports is a lot of fun, but there is so much more to be gained when you put your son/daughter into a team squad in their favourite sport. Most kids will get into team sports from the age of 10, which is the right age to enter into a competitive arena, albeit on a basic level. Aside from learning the skillsets of that sport, children get other benefits, which we outline in this short article.

Drive success now

One of the most important traits for a successful life, developing self-discipline through playing for a team is a great preparation for adult life. There will be times when they don’t want to do something, but they won’t want to let down their teammates, so whatever it is, will be done. Self-discipline builds character and with affordable basketball training for kids in the school holidays, your kids can enjoy their downtime while learning valuable life skills. This is a growing sport Down Under, along with baseball, which is now shown on mainstream media.

Fair Play

Competing is all about adhering to the rules of the game and playing in an organised team ensures that kids understand the importance of fair play. No one likes a sore loser, and while we all want to win, coming second is no disgrace. Justice is the foundation of a balanced society and growing up in a school team develops fairness within the students.

Unleash hidden strengths

Collaboration

Team play means every player works with their teammates with a common goal to enjoy victory over the opposing team and the captain directs the action, planning a strategy and changing that when things go wrong. Teamwork is all about making the best out of the available resources and players need to be able to play in multiple positions, to cover when there is an injury or substitution.

Motivation

Ignite their drive

Another vital aspect of achieving success is motivation and sports definitely motivate players to excel and beat their personal bests in every department. It can be the difference between winning and losing and it is the coach and the captain’s role to motivate the players at every opportunity. The team can feel down at halftime if they are losing and the coach tries hard to change their mindset, sometimes the results are astounding and a team comes back from a big deficit to win in the final few minutes.

Physical Development

Growing kids need physical exertion and sports give the entire body a workout; a balanced diet with lots of protein will ensure that growth occurs when it should; the students learn about fitness and how the body recovers after a game or heavy training session. We tend to grow in spurts, which some parents think is unusual, yet this is perfectly normal and playing sports gives a child every chance to develop.

Fuel their passion

Children of all ages love sports and if your kids are into a particular sport, support them in every way, as this will build their character.