Kids’ Sports & Health
It’s no big news that Australian children are currently in the grips of the worst obesity epidemic in history. An ever-growing army of technological devices – personal computers, gaming consoles, iPhones, TVs, DVDs – seem to be doing an excellent job of conspiring to keep kids on the couch, and it’s affecting the health of a generation of children.
Kids’ sports are a great way of getting children to be active without making exercise a chore. Team sports like ice hockey, soccer or basketball enable children to stay physically active on a regular basis, promote physical development, enhance coordination and help them learn healthy habits that will continue throughout their lives.
But physical benefits aside, team sports offer many other benefits to kids’ health and education. Kids’ sports can help teach a range of skills that go well beyond scoring and winning.
Becoming a team player
Kids tend to see themselves as being as the centre of the universe; indeed, the younger the child, the more they believe the world revolves around them. Kids’ sports are a good early ego check – they encourage children to think about their team as a whole and learn to be happy for the successes of others as they notice the benefits to themselves and the entire group.
Positive role models
Professional sports are filled with excellent role models for kids – athletes who can demonstrate the hard work and commitment they have put in to achieving their goals. In addition, a dedicated and skillful coach can have a significant impact on children, leading them to seek out from mentors in later life that can help them with school, career, and other interests.
Learning about practice and persistence
Kids’ sports can be very effective in teaching children the value of practice and persistence. Kids who are involved in sports learn at an early age that sometimes you have to do things you don’t feel like doing in pursuit of a greater goal – a very important life lesson.
School Spirit
Kids’ sports can also be an excellent tool for promoting school connectedness and encouraging bonding between classmates; students who may otherwise have had little in common find themselves working together toward a common goal, as representatives of their school.
