Benefits Of Sports: How Can Playing Sports Contribute to a Child's Development? - Weight Loss Stories

Adults only come to comprehend the necessity of physical activity with age. Physical activity such as sports keeps the human body functioning optimally and healthy. However, recent studies further indicate that sports like playing baseball prevent cognitive decline in later life. Similarly, a sport has a great impact on a child’s physical development and health as well as psychological health. In addition, it helps in improving the social skills of children in the process. Sports provide every child with an ideal outlet to remain active while learning valuable life skills and having fun. The importance of games and sports should never be neglected, particularly in regard to educating teenagers and children.

Sports and Child Development

Most educators and parents fail to realize that there are several ways by which sports can help in the social, mental and physical growth of children; the main ones include the following:

Physical Health

For good physical development of a child, he or she requires at least an hour of exercise, plenty of sleep and a balanced diet. Participating in sporting activities has desirable impacts on children such as improved fitness, controlled body fat, a stronger heart, strong joints, enhances flexibility, increases endurance, development of strong bones and muscles as well as a decreased risk of type two diabetes. Children who participate in sports are also likely to get arthritis compared to their peers who do not. Children who are active in sports consume healthy diets that are characterized by high fiber foods list for adequate energy reserves. Healthy diets also contribute to good physical health.

A sport helps children to reduce the risk of getting injured and also hastens healing and recovery time.

Mental Health

In addition to physical benefits, sports also contribute to the mental development of children. This is because physical activity directly correlates to the release of serotonin by the body. This, in turn, translates to feelings of well-being. Sports relieve anxiety, depression, and stress from children. Children just like adults, experience such emotions that affect mental health and exercise in form of sports assists in combating such feelings. This is because sports help trains children to gracefully accept defeat and move on. In this way, children learn that both losing and winning are just part of life that should not depress them. Moreover, sports keep children active for longer periods thus allowing them to rest better and to remain mentally sharp. Sports also enable children to set goals and accomplish them thus supporting a facet of mental health. Just like learning a ukulele helps in the socio-emotional development of a child so does participation in sports.

In fact, recent studies indicate that enhanced physical activity in form of sports or otherwise helps children to perform better at school especially in retention of information, reading and in math. Children who play sports learn lessons quickly and effectively compared to children who do not. In any case, it is a proven fact that a healthy mind can only reside inside a healthy body that is promoted by participation in sports as earlier mentioned.

Social Skills

Sports help children to develop some important life lessons and valuable skills that shape their adulthood. Many youths struggle with growing up and this makes most feel inadequate. However, sports have proved useful in helping children to increase self-confidence and self-esteem. Sports also help in making children social. Several skills are either enhanced or learned through sports that contribute to the proper development of children. These social skills include leadership, independence, ability to follow rules, respect for others, communication, fair play, and teamwork. Sports also inculcate values such as accountability, sacrifice, and responsibility. Sharing is yet another essential social skill that sports help to develop in children. All these build the personality and character of children.

The benefits of sports listed above are not exhaustive as there are much more that clearly stretch beyond that.

Conclusion

The above insightful information clearly indicates that the importance of sports in the development process of children. However, it also highlights that sports equip with them with the necessary skills that they require to have a successful life later on. Parents should help their children to greatly benefit from their participation in sports by providing support and making sure that children enjoy the sport they play.

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