How sports add value to your kids

I have rarely been enthralled by sports. I definitely do drool over some good-looking sports players and their skills. Whereas, this outlook has dramatically changed after I became a parent. I began looking at sports as an extremely life altering skill. If you are someone like me, who has been more involved in dance and dramatics all their life, you would obviously surely raise an eyebrow.

There are various reasons on why sports and physical exercise are great for kids. I could harp upon the importance of sports and PE for really long. It is however concurrent that it does wonders to one’s emotional health too.

In these times, the pandemic that has clearly impacted all our lives. Clearly, we are very fortunate to be able to spend these times with our kids and family. Following this chain of thought, I believe that despite all the activities we plan to do with kids, we must also encourage them to play a sport!

It is imperative for us as parents to look at some reasons on why playing sports is vital for kids.

Impact of Sports on Emotional Health.

Along with helping you build character, playing sports can have a positive bearing on your emotional health. It boosts your self-confidence. You make mistakes and turn them into stepping stone. We are able to immediately lift our mood and concentration too. Without a doubt, playing any game improves social interaction and reduces stress, leading to great emotional health

Builds overall physical health

I am sure we have often looked at playing a game as a medium to stay fit. It indeed improves our body image however it also regulates sleep. Besides improving your posture and blood flow, it also helps to refine your reflexes.  While you are flexing those muscles at a game, you need to remember playing sports also strengthens your bones. You are definitely improvising your fitness and managing your weight too.

Sports help you focus and concentrate

Any sport we play definitely has a goal that needs to be achieved. You either need to score runs, goals or points. As a sports player you need to inch forward keeping that goal in mind. By doing this, you are improving your concentration and focus. Aligning yourself to your goals helps you improve your decision-making skills too. You are not only needed to make decisions but sometimes devise creative strategies too. This can help you improve your creative thinking.

Communication and Leadership.

Every sport you play needs you to communicate. You either need to communicate with yourself to stay focused or you need to connect with the team. Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, sports is meant for everyone. Playing a sport lets you loosen yourself a bit additionally making you responsible as well. Every player in the team is accountable for their own performance. Sports help you work well with others and yourself too.

Sports improve Resilience

These times of lock down has definitely made our children obedient. As kids they need to constantly have a spark of resilience in them. It is their resilience and optimism that help them grow and stay positive. It is through playing different games they learn about success, failures and the need to start over. Sports can have a profound effect on one’s being.

Cognitive Therapy

A therapy of any sort involves certain equipment. Cognitive functions refer to various abilities such as thinking, reasoning, learning, decision making, attention etc. Believe me, when I say that I have seen all these skills sharpen for my highly energetic six-year-old. I have drawn concepts from various games, to explain to him about people, festivals and religion. We began writing only by initially writing out initials and names of our favorite sports players. Additionally, parents can help kids solve crosswords, quizzes based on sports too.

Adds Value

Remember the feeling of patriotism when India wins a match in any sport. The feeling of sympathy towards Mohammed Salah when he was hit by Sergio Ramos in the Champions League Finale. Sports bring everyone under one common roof of emotions and values. You are bound to learn all about respect, gratitude, team work while you are playing a sport. On one hand sports teach you all about being tough and strong while on the other hand they also teach you to humble.  Sports certainly are all about having fun but they also teach you about time management and surely make you disciplined.

There are umpteen reasons on why one should play sports. Besides making you look and feel good about yourself, they can even open doors to an exciting range of careers. Similarly sports impart skills of balance and co-ordination in the same manner as they do for building friendships.An excellent video I stumbled upon on youtube that should be watched by kids and parents.