One of the greatest periods of our lives is our childhood. We form the some of the greatest and most memorable memories that will stay with us for a lifetime. It is in our childhood that we develop habits and routines that we can benefit from later in life. These habits develop over time based on the things we do and activities we participate in such as sports. Sports can significantly impact the maturing and development process for children. The variety in sports allows children to have options and decide what is most fun for them while still being able to reap its many benefits. Participating in a sport ensures that children are engaged in plenty of physical activity, helps them build self-esteem, and learn valuable life lessons all while having fun and enjoying themselves.
One of most important things we can freely do for ourselves is take care of our bodies. One of the best ways to do this is through exercise. Participating in at least 30 minutes of exercise every day is the suggested amount to aim for. When children play sports, they are developing an exercise routine which could potentially become a healthy habit for the rest of their life. Also, by engaging in sports, children will see other kids who do not take proper care of their bodies, and hopefully avoid that lifestyle. Since sports require so much physically, kids will be able to learn what diet supports their active bodies. Everything from how much water a day you should drink to the types of foods you eat are crucial in maintaining healthy. From a young age, children discover the ability to listen to their body and the way their body reacts to certain actions or events. Sports not only teach kids how to keep their bodies of healthy, but also teach them how to listen to their body. They are able to recognize if they feel ill or injured and learn to make responsible decisions based on those feelings. Finally, most sports, by the content of their rules, force children to respect their bodies as well as others.
A big part of your childhood is figuring out who you are. This means that your self-esteem and self-confidence are largely determined from your childhood. Sports provide opportunities for positive reinforcements from coaches, teammates, friends, and family. During games and practices, teammates and coaches have the chance to compliment the children on certain plays they do well. However, they also have the opportunity to constructively criticize what they may be doing wrong. Children need to learn how to react to that kind of criticism. As the sport season progresses and kids learn more about the game, they will be able to see their own improvements which boosts their confidence. As they see these improvements being made, they are able to set more goals to try to achieve. Getting into this habit of goal setting gives kids something to strive for and motivates them. This habit can greatly benefit them letter in life.
The greatest advantage that sports provide are the life lessons. Maturity is a necessary skill to have to be successful in their sport. Learning to manage your time is one of the first and most important lesson learned from sports because children will have have to juggle between their homework, family time, other extracurricular activities, and the all of the sport’s practices and games. Good sportsmanship is required in order to make the games and practices safe and fun. In order to have good sportsmanship, you have to be mature enough to keep your cool even if something unfair has happened. When playing sports, adversity is something you’ll encounter frequently, and kids will learn how to deal with this type of pressure. Social skills are also developed by playing sports. Kids will learn how to properly communicate with adults. They will have practice articulating their concerns, problems, and questions. Not everyone on a team may get along so kids will have the chance to learn how to deal with these types of disagreements. Finally, leadership skills which are used in every stage of your life, are developed through playing sports at a young age.
In conclusion, playing sports during your childhood has many benefits in your later life. These benefits can more fully be developed through sports in an enjoyable way. Sports provide sufficient physical activity to keep children healthy, it builds self-esteem, and there are many life lesson learned. It is important for children to grow up playing sports.
