5 Compelling (Hidden) Benefits of Sports For Your Child

There are immense benefits of sports for your child: happiness is one of them!

Blog updated on December 18, 2022

We all know that there are tons of benefits of sports. This applies to all - children, youth, and adults. Different age groups have different sets of benefits. But you might be surprised to know the immense benefits of sports for your child!

It is also well known that when children are engaged in activities that align with their interests, their psychosocial development is enhanced.

They not only acquire useful skills but they tread on a path of self-discovery and grow into adulthood with a useful set of characteristics and values.

Most parents know the benefits of sports for their children along with their studies. But what they probably do not know is that sports take good care of the psychosocial needs of the children.

I often say that the most important life lessons are never learned inside the four walls of the classrooms.

There are a plethora of benefits of sports for your child, but today I will delve into the role of sports in the physical and psychosocial development of a child.

Here are the 5 Compelling Benefits of Sports For Your Child:

1. Companionship and friendship

One of the major benefits of sports for your child is lifelong friendships!

Being on a sports team provides children to have friends outside their classrooms, and a chance for creating new friendships, a number of which can last a lifetime.

As they train together, the children pick up many important traits. They win together, they compete among themselves, and they lose and face defeat together.

Being involved in a sport teaches invaluable lessons in teamwork, like putting yourself in second place for the advantage of the entire team. All of this provides children with a sense of togetherness and belonging, a feeling that's absolutely precious.

2. Winning and losing are part of lives

Learning life lessons is one of the most important benefits of sports for your child!

Learning to simply accept and deal with defeat is a crucial life lesson. In any sport, there's always a winner and a loser, and therefore the experience of being one or the opposite may be a valuable one.

It is obvious that the child will practice, play matches, win some, and lose a few of them. It’s important to assist them to realize that losing is nothing to be ashamed of.

We all just want to win every time in everything we do. But life is not like that, we will win in many things but will also lose in a few other places.

By learning to regulate and understand their emotions after losing, children can build resilience which will greatly help them in life.

After all, life brings many obstacles, and learning to be dignified in defeat and to face up when you’re down are lessons sports can teach us early.

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3. Learning discipline and respect for authority

Different sports have different rules set by the authorities and administered by the officials, like referees. Following the rules requires discipline and respect for the decisions made by more experienced and skilled people.

Obeying rules is mandatory for a child to learn and progress in any sport, and being disciplined in training sessions is necessary for success. Children learn to respect people in authority, even when they don’t agree with them, as they see their skills developing and improving.

This way sports introduce a new authority figure for children, besides parents and teachers, who can help them in their healthy psychosocial development.

One of the benefits of sports for your child is understanding respect for authority.

4. Developing persistence, dedication, and patience

One of the most important factors that helps one to succeed in life is persistence. Persistence always pays, in almost every field of life. Similarly, the value of regular practice is greatly strengthened as children focus and practice every day to continuously improve themselves.

This greatly helps develop the critical traits of persistence, dedication, and patience. These are some of the most essential life skills the students can learn and hone.

The above learnings from sports greatly help students to apply these skills in classroom environments. This, ultimately leads to better learning, helping them achieve their educational goals. Learning the value of persistence is one of the biggest benefits of sports for your child!

5. Developing self-esteem

The development of self-esteem is one of the benefits of sports for your child.

One of the biggest benefits of sports is that it helps your child develop all essential self-esteem.

In sports, children constantly encourage their teammates, and coaches also add tips and motivation. The vigor on the courts, coupled with hi-fives with the teammates, leads to increased levels of confidence and self-esteem.

Caution: parents of sensitive children need to remain mindful that their children inculcate the spirit of the sport correctly. They should oversee that their children are not obsessed with winning all the time.

These compulsive win-only behaviors could potentially lead to adverse psychosocial conditions. This could lead to a loss of self-esteem and other related psychological disorders.

Of course, physical sports have great visible benefits to the body and overall health. So, it’s not surprising that studies have found that girls who played sports had a greater acceptance of their body image.

Note for the parents

It's okay if you're finding it difficult in encouraging your child to play a sport. Try to set an example by doing some workouts at home, or becoming more physically active in some other way.

The development of self-esteem is one of the benefits of sports for your child.

Also, it would be great if you could explain the benefits of sports and try raising their interest by playing some sports together. You can try playing tennis or baseball, or maybe some football in the backyard.

Do not push the children into the sports you like. Rather, make them experience multiple sports and let them choose the one they want the most.

It is ok if your child does not want to play in front of you. Don't pressurize your child. Instead, talk to your kid gently and see if he/she is afraid of not doing well. Encourage your child to practice and show patience and perseverance.

As you can see, there are compelling benefits of sports for your child. Your child should play a sport without exception. No reason is good enough for not playing. It's time you explore your child's preferences. Find the one he/she is most passionate about and see them bloom happily!

I'll see you soon in my next blog, till then, happy parenting!

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