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Getting your kids to play sports is one of the best things you can do as a parent. The physical exercise and life lessons that children learn when they compete in sports are priceless. If you are looking for an activity that your child participates in that will help them to grow and improve the quality of their life, get them involved in sports. Keep reading to discover some of the most important ways that including sports as part of your children’s lifestyle will help them to grow up happy and healthy.
1. Getting Some Exercise
Of course, one of the most obvious benefits of playing sports is that kids who do so get loads of exercise. In the Digital Age, the childhood obesity crisis is one of the most troubling problems in society. This public health crisis exists because many kids these days spend all their free time on the couch playing video games, watching TV and surfing the Internet.
If your kids are spending too much time eating junk food inside, sign them up for a sports team or find another way to get them off the couch. Tricycles for kids are an effective way to encourage exercise from an early age. Kids who play sports will get lots of exercise that will help their bodies grow stronger and healthier. It is hard for kids to become obese if they play sports. An hour or two of sports a day instead of video games will do wonders for the physical health of your children.
2. Learning to Stay Cool Under Pressure
One of the most valuable skills a person can have in life is the ability to stay calm under pressure. When children play sports, they learn how to do exactly that. Each time they are faced with a pressure situation in a competition, it is chance for them to learn how to handle it well. Over time, they will learn how to stay calm and collected in the most pressure-packed situations. This ability will stay with them outside the field of sports, allowing them to handle pressure in all areas of their lives.
3. Learning the Value of Teamwork
In team sports, one of the most valuable lessons that kids will learn is the importance of teamwork. No matter how talented the individual members of a team are, they will not be able to succeed unless they are able to cooperate and play together well as a seamless unit. In today’s society, people who know how to work together in teams will have an advantage in school and later in the work world. Giving your children the chance to play sports ensures that they are able to be valuable members of the team in every group setting they encounter throughout their lives.
4. Learning How to Work Hard
One of the most frequent criticism of Millennials is that they are do not want to work hard. Many business owners are wary of hiring them because of this reputation. Parents who want this generation of children to have a reputation for hard work should encourage them to play sports. People who play sports quickly learn that hard work is the best way to achieve results. A hard-working athlete will almost always beat one who is talented but lazy. When kids learn the value of hard work on the playing field, they will seek to duplicate their success in other areas of life by always trying their hardest no matter what task they are faced with.
5. Learning to Follow Orders
Another common criticism of Millennials is that they do not take direction very well. Their inability to handle all their bosses’ instructions in the work world is another reason many companies don’t like hiring them. Far too many of these young people did not learn how important it is to listen and learn from the people above them. This is a lesson that is quickly driven home to kids who play sports. If they do not respect their coaches and listen to their instructions, athletes will not succeed. Kids also can get injured if they do not listen to their coaches. Children who do well in sports because of lessons they learn from the coaches will learn the value of following the instructions of authority figures in all the other areas of their lives.
6. Tenacity
One of the best lessons kids learn by playing sports is how to be tenacious. Athletes are taught by their coaches that they need to pursue their goals passionately if they want to succeed. Losing is a part of sports, and every loss just fuels kids to work harder to achieve their goals. This kind of tenacity is obviously incredibly valuable for kids no matter what goals they have in life. The tenacious spirit created in kids by playing sports is priceless.
These are six of the most important reasons that you should encourage your children to play sports. In a world where hard work, determination and cooperation are becoming rarer all the time, your kids will stand out when they possess these values from their time playing sports growing up. Look into local sports leagues your children can join to learn the valuable lessons that playing sports will teach them.
