10 Benefits of Playing Sports as a Child

Football, basketball, soccer, track, volleyball, swimming, baseball, hockey, and softball: the list could go on and on of the different sports and activities kids can get involved in through school and the community. While schedules can overlap and life can become busier, there are so many more benefits of playing sports as a child than you might think. Here is a list of 10 physical, emotional, social, and mental benefits of playing sports as a child:

Physical Benefits

1. Consistent Activity and Exercise

Enjoying a team sport will make a positive impact on your child physically. Every child needs consistent exercise in order to stay healthy, and playing a sport is the best way to encourage regular activity. Unlike sedentary activities that challenge the brain, playing a sport will activate thinking and motor skills for more well-rounded exercise.

2. Increased Endurance and Strength

Playing a sport will increase your child’s endurance and strength, and more importantly, their heart and lung function. Because sports involve slow movements as well as sudden ones, they will be developing different muscles for different activities, resulting in balanced muscle growth.

3. Coordination and Balance

Another benefit of playing sports as a child is well-developed coordination and balance. By practicing their sport, running laps, and training, your kids will become coordinated and enhance their balance over time.

Emotional Benefits

4. Positive Body Image

Playing a sport as a child also makes a positive impact on your child emotionally. They will gain insight from winning and losing, maneuvering through friendships, and learning how to properly make decisions through playing their sports. Participating in a sport improves their physical health; therefore, they can have a positive outlook on their bodies and health.

5.Self Esteem

Your child can have positive self esteem and more confidence when they are involved in a sport. Being successful in a sport gives them a boost of confidence and a sense of accomplishment that cannot be gained anywhere else, especially in team sports.

Social Benefits

6. Schedule and Time Management

It’s important to create a schedule for your kids that can be maintained and carried out as they grow. As they begin to play sports, having time management skills are very practical and gives your child more responsibility as they get older. Being involved in extracurricular sports and other activities creates time constraints but also teaches an important life lesson on time management.

7. Respect and Communication

Participating in a sport, especially team sports, is one of the best ways to learn about respect and communication. A coach is to be respected, as well as fellow team members. Playing as a group also teaches your child how to communicate with peers and adults. These social skills are absolutely necessary in every aspect of life and can give them a foundation for other valuable life lessons.

8. Teamwork Skills

Working together to accomplish a certain goal is extremely rewarding and teaches your child about teamwork and doing their part as part of a team. Whether they win or lose, it’s important to remind them about the team effort and working with others.

Mental Benefits

9. Focus and Attention

Another benefit of playing sports as a child is the increased focus and attention they need for analytical and strategic thinking. These thinking skills carry over into the classroom for areas, such as math and science, as well as better decision making for every day life.

10. Reduces Stress and Increases Mood

Playing a sport is a great outlet for kids to handle their emotions. It also gives them some activity away from school work and sedentary activities like video games and TV. Having a balanced lifestyle that includes both sedentary and physical exercise for your kids can improve their mood and keep them happy and stress free.

Since you know the benefits of playing sports as a child, enroll your kids in one of our sports camps today and see for yourself how they will grow physically, emotionally, socially, and mentally!