Sports and athletic activities are quite beneficial for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and are best for people of all ages. However, when it comes to kids, sports and other athletic or competitive activities can promise countless additional benefits such as boosting the confidence and invoking a sense of competition and achievement.
This is exactly why many elementary and secondary schools around the globe focus a lot of arranging healthy sporting competitions and making sports activities a part of their regular curriculum. However, according to a recent research only 6 out of 10 children aged between 5 and 14 participate in any sports outside of schools, which is very saddening. Another alarming fact is that 70% of the kids that participate in sports activities are boys, which means that lesser number of girls adhere to healthy activities outside of school.
Another research has suggested that nearly 40% of Australian kids do not participate in any sort of sporting activities at all, which is probably the reason behind increasing obesity and sedentary lifestyles. It is extremely important for parents to encourage their kids to participate in sporting activities. Sporting prescription glasses(click here) are a great way to improve sporting performance and build confidence with kids who require glasses at school
We have listed some of the top benefits of sports for kids here.
- High Self Esteem & Confidence: When kids participate in sports activities, there are usually teammates, coaches or instructors there to help, motivate and assist in better performance. Simple gestures like a pat on the back or a high five from the teammate can help boost the self-esteem and confidence of a child. This not only results in increased confidence but also pushes the child to perform better and be competitive in a positive way.
- Discipline and Team Work: One of the key attributes that sports impart in a child is discipline and teamwork. Talking about discipline, this not only includes mental or physical discipline but also tactical discipline. The wearing of uniforms, following a certain set of strict rules, adhering to a decent way of communication, and learning that there is no MY WIN when it’s a team play, are all attributes that can only be learnt by participating in sporting activities.
- Reduced Risk of Obesity & Healthy Growth: Of all the social and personal benefits, this is one of the most important benefits associated with sports activities. The earlier your kid starts participating in sporting activities, the lesser his/her risk of obesity and other diseases. In addition, sports activities also promise improved cardiovascular fitness and also helps in healthy growth of bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments.
- Improved Social & Personal Skills: Participating in sports also improves social skills as well as the personal skills of a child. Sports not only teaches kids teamwork and cooperation, but they also learn to interact and work with other people of the same or different age groups. In addition to social skills, kids also develop confidence, high self-esteem as well as a competitive nature which pushes them to perform the best of their capabilities.
