Almost every school in the world has at least one sports team for children. For many parents, these sports programs are just opportunities for after-school care. However, enrolling your children in sports has benefits for their physical and mental development. If you’re on the fence about whether or not to allow your little one to play a sport this year, consider the following benefits sports give your kids.
Improved Teamwork
One of the most noticeable benefits that competitive sports have is teamwork. Any parent can tell you that children don’t like to share, whether it’s a toy or bragging rights. If kids don’t learn how to properly share, they become self-centered and unbalanced adults. Playing organized sports forces children to look outside of themselves and cooperate with others. Whether they’re playing soccer or basketball, your little ones learn to rely on others to achieve a common goal. These simple lessons learned in the formative years form a basis for interactions for your child’s entire life.
Along similar lines, your child will also learn how to listen when they play sports. In any game, there will be coaches and assistants giving your youngster advice; it’s up to them to choose whether or not to listen. Listening to their advisors will give your children the best chances of success, but they are the ones who have to choose. Even in non-competitive situations, such as a practice involving only a few softball gloves and a stray ball or two, listening to coaches and assistants will help your child develop and grow mentally. By enrolling your child in sports, you can encourage their emotional development as they grow.
Better Cognition and Problem-Solving
Another benefit to early childhood sports is better cognition and problem-solving. It’s no secret that playing sports takes a toll on the body. However, the increased blood flow has its perks. One such perk is that extra blood flow to the brain increases the number of synapses in the brain. These synapses are responsible for the transmission of electric signals in the brain, so a greater number of them lead to a more developed brain. Studies have shown that playing sports leads to better academic performance in children.
Similarly, this increase in synapses leads to better critical thinking. In the modern world, there is a shocking absence of logical and critical thinking. Many people make choices without thinking them through first, which leads to either failure or someone being hurt. By increasing your child’s ability to think rationally and critically, you can save them from the pain of some misinformed decisions. While nothing can prevent mistakes entirely, playing sports can help your children think more clearly both on and off the field.
Fine Motor Skill Development
Finally, playing sports helps your child develop their fine motor skills. Studies have shown that kicking a ball helps young children learn balance, practice aim, and improve hand-eye coordination. As a parent, you have undoubtedly noticed that babies and toddlers tend to throw and kick things. These tendencies are not only fun for the children, but also incredibly beneficial. As the kids get older, playing with balls in more organized forms continues to develop these basic skills. At a sports practice, they’ll learn how to control their bodies more, leading to stronger coordination and better physical development.
Along with motor skills, playing sports will also increase your kids’ muscle development. It’s a bit of an obvious fact that organized sports provide a workout to the players, but the benefit is worth mentioning. When children are allowed to run around and be kids, their growing muscles and bones grow stronger than they would otherwise. While many kids would rather stay inside and play video games, getting outside and playing a sport will help strengthen their bodies and prevent injury down the line. By enrolling your little ones in sports programs, you give them the best chances for motor skills and muscle development as they grow.
Overall, sports are beneficial to both social and physical growth in children. Whether it’s at a recreation center or through your child’s school, getting your kids involved in sports is a wise parenting choice.