At the outset of this article, let us make one thing clear.
Not every child is sporty. Don’t push your child into something he/she doesn’t want to do. For some kids, the idea of playing sport is a terrible nightmare, be that because they feel they lack the skills, or because it just doesn’t interest them. To force them into something they definitely don’t want to do is like trying to push a square peg into a round hole.
However…
There is nothing wrong in gently encouraging your child to play some kind of sport. While they might dread certain sports, there might be other sporting activities that are more suited to them. You don’t want to force them into something kicking and screaming, but if you can encourage them to think about a sport they might like to do, you and they will see the benefits.
- Your child will learn valuable skills. Not only will your child learn the skills needed for the sport itself, they will also learn skills that will benefit their entire life. Certain sports will improve your child’s hand-eye coordination. Team sports will teach your children skills in teamwork, as well as social skills; the art of getting along with others. And sports will teach your children how to listen, as the only way to do well is to listen to the advice of the coach and their teammates.
- Your child will gain a sense of identity. Many children struggle to fit in with their peers, but if they join a team sport, they will automatically have a group they can identify with. No longer will they be the faceless boy or girl in school. They can proudly stand with their peers in team photos. They can showcase their identity with uniforms akin to a custom designed netball kit. And when people ask them, ‘what do you do?’, they can talk about the team they are in, and the sport they are interested in, which is a far better response than ‘nothing.’ And because of this, the next point is true.
- Your child’s self-esteem will grow. Sport is an excellent way to boost your child’s self-confidence. As we suggested, this will be spurred on by a greater sense of their own identity. And their confidence will grow further as they develop in their skills, perform well at their chosen sport, and gain the respect of their supporters, their coach, and their peers.
- Your child will make new friends. Not all children are good at making friends, so if your child is a bit of a loner, encouraging them into a sport is an excellent way to help them meet new people, and to develop relationships with those children they might already know from school. And be it teammates or non-teammates, they will be able to make new friends with anybody who has a common interest in what they are involved with.
- Your child’s health will benefit. This is a no-brainer, as any kind of exercise is good for our children. So, if your child is prone to spending more time than they should in front of a television or phone screen, sport is an excellent way to get them away from a potentially unhealthy lifestyle, and into something that has a range of health benefits.And hey, you might follow suit and do something more active yourself, as not only is this good role-modeling for your children, but your health might benefit too!
So, could you encourage your children to play more sports? As we said, you don’t want to force them, but if you are able to find ways to get them interested, they will begin to understand the benefits.
Check out some of our most recommended sports for your child to improve hand-eye coordination by clicking here: https://convergeblog.com/the-best-sports-for-improving-hand-eye-coordination/
Thanks for reading!
