Why To Encourage Your Child to Take Up a Sport

As a mother you know the importance of playing outside. But did you know that if your child is playing a sport that is competitive in nature like cricket or football, he or she are learning a structured way of life that will help them in their lives further. 

Let me begin by asking you all one simple question - how many of you agree that playing a sport is not just fun but one of the best gifts we can give to our bodies. I am sure you all must have raised your hands.

Benefits of Organised Sports in Children's Life

1. Self Discipline:

   Sports are a wonderful way to teach children self discipline. Every sport requires an individual to train his/her body and mind in order to maintain the stamina levels on the field. And training requires perseverance with self discipline. Besides, learning of new rules also requires presence of this quality.

2. Sportsmanship:

   The very nature of sports is competitive whether it is individual sport like running or group sports like basketball and competition always demands one person/group to win and the other to lose. Through sports children can be made to learn an important lesson for life both on the court and off the court i.e.taking responsibility for your own performance.

3. Teamwork and Cooperation:

   Throughout our lives, we work in teams, be it that of friends, couple, colleagues etc. and we are always required to cooperate with each other. Through sports activities, children can naturally get trained in working with teams and cooperating with each other to produce results. Lessons learnt on the field stay with children for a long time and benefit them at different stages.

4. Stay Healthy:

   One of the most obvious reasons of actively participating in sports is children stay healthy both mentally and physically. Moreover we all very well know what are the side effects of just getting hooked on to gadgets, books or Play Stations. It is extremely important for both boys and girls to sweat out and work on their bodies. It will keep their stamina levels high, bodies active and in shape and minds alert, agile and focused.

5. Stay in touch with healthy food:

   Once the child actively participates in a sport activity, he/she is bound to stay in touch with healthy foods like fruits, veggies, dairy, eggs etc. Since these foods are recommended by their coaches to remain fit. Unhealthy junk foods like burgers, pizzas, chips etc. consumed over a period of time will automatically impact their fitness levels required to perform the sport.

With all these super exciting benefits of indulging in sports, there is just one thing that you need to watch out for. When you decide to introduce your child to the awesome world of sports and fitness in a formal way, you must check your child’s readiness for a particular sport. There is no ready list to suggest that, however seek guidance for this from a professional well qualified and trained sports coach. This step is important because you want to avoid every possible reason for frustration and early drop out to pitch in; though that can happen anytime but physical and cognitive developmental level plays a critical role to be able to participate in a sport. 

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