Benefits of Organized Sports For Children

by Rhonda
(Mississippi)

Doctors recommend that children aged between 5 to 18 years old should be involved in sporting activities to develop adequate physical fitness and mental strength. The psychological and social benefits of organized sports help children to learn to handle strenuous situations, and improve self-esteem and interpersonal relationships. The benefits obtained from involvement in sports remain with the child well into their adult life. It is therefore something that parents must take very seriously.

The exercising of reflexes and continuous stretch on their ability that sports bring ensure the child grows healthily. The discipline of organized sports is often cited as one of the most effective ways of preventing obesity among children.

The often-quoted cliché that ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy' could never be more true as concerns children. Focus on academic excellence only is bound to not only lead to feature problems in forging long lasting relationships but worst case, the child may end up channeling the excess energy into something harmful. What is remarkable in this regard is that children that are involved in organized sports on average perform better than those who shun games. That is, assuming both children are subjected to the same number of study hours each week.

Organized sports are one way of teaching children that life is multifaceted. Each person is not a sum total of only one talent. Sport also teaches them that development and success is indeed possible when you apply yourself to something. It is a great way to inculcate a strong work ethic in children that they will not lose in their adult life.

Sport also provides an important channel through which children start to be introduced to the realities of life: You win some, you lose some. It sometimes does not matter how hard you prepare; you can actually lose a match regardless of how well you prepared. This vital lesson starts to build the foundations of emotional maturity that they will need in later life. The child starts to understand that there will be times when someone else will be on the podium and the best one can do is congratulate the winner and work hard to be the one there next time. Losing is not the end of the world. The child learns how to deal with adversity. When they lose a game, they know how to control themselves because they know that they will play many other games in the future and that they might win in one of those games.

When children start to get involved in drug and alcohol abuse, often it stems from the absence of a recreational substitute. This is one void that organized sports can start to fill especially if started early enough. Of course, this does not mean that sports are the panacea for controlling drug abuse; the point is that it reduces the likelihood of this happening among children and teens.

Finally, organized sport has been the training ground of many of the world's greatest leaders of our time. The child sees the effect of organization and teamwork and if they do serve as a captain, start to understand the people dynamics that are at play in team environments.

Rhonda Reyes is a writer for My Baby Bedding Shop and is the loving parent of two. One boy and one girl. Her children are all grown up now but she loves writing about children and giving tips on certain scenarios that parents are faced with along the way. Rhonda sure hopes that you have found this article helpful.