Blog Details
- 19 November,2024
Importance of sports for children in non physical aspects
Participating in sports and athletics influences a child
profoundly and not only positively benefits their health but also their mental,
social and academic development. Schools in India are increasingly recognising
the importance of a well-rounded education that promotes all-round development
of the child’s brain and their personality and sports being a crucial part of
it is rapidly gaining in adoption rates across the boards. This blog explores
the importance and impacts of sports and athletics in schools.
Physical Health and Fitness
The most widely known benefit of sports is elevated physical
growth, muscle strength and flexibility. The increase in sedentary lifestyle
among children with rampant junk food consumption gave the world the rise of
obesity and resulting conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The
easiest prevention from these are various types of physical activities and
sports practised by generations earlier, be it yoga, athletics or sports.
Mental Health and Well-being
Apart from exercises and sports, improving the physical
health, it is also a trigger for the release of endorphins that naturally makes
a person feel good. It is also a channel for a healthy expression of a child’s
emotions and an outlet to let the emotional turbulences felt during the
adolescence run out and let the mind be stabilised in a managed procedure,
reducing the chance to develop some psychological conditions, addiction, or
some character flaws.
It also teaches them social skills like resilience,
coordination and processing failure or success or conflicts and that sets them
on an easier path in navigating life in the future.
Academics
Sports in research have been found to be beneficial in
incorporating qualities of strategic thinking, quick decision making and
problem-solving.
Meanwhile, daily exercise improves concentration, memory,
problem-solving and virtues like team spirit, decision-making and
time-management skills are usually a by-Product of sports or athletics and they
are also the building blocks of a proper personality that would affect them
positively in both studies and extra-curricular activities.
Social Skills and Team Work
Children in their early years informally get trained in
socialisation, leadership and people management just by playing and they do not
even do it consciously, rather have to develop it to interact with others or to
be part of the friend group.
The conflicts that arise here are valuable too as the skills
of problem solving, negotiation and consideration of other’s perspectives are
probably the biggest lessons for a child as from job interviews to conflict
resolution these skills can be a universal source of strength and fortify their
mental fortitude too.
Leadership
They say teaching actually teaches you and leading is just
teaching by example and with the added responsibilities, it prepares any child
to be at the peak of their performance while setting an example for others and
cope with the responsibilities too.
This trains a person to act in stressful situations while
keeping their nerves calm and to fend for themselves while covering for other’s
mistakes and also allows a person to distinguish the qualities of each of its
members and bring out the best possible plan using their individual strengths.
Vice Prevention
Sports and activities often keep the mind busy and
preoccupied, thus reducing the time to actually fall prey to vices.
Even if they develop some vices usually their teammates and
friends act as their guiding light and support group and pull them out of it.
Good habits
Sports also creates a steady stream of good habits and tends
to retain them in the long run as they are practiced and inculcated at and from
a young age. The social circle keeps motivating them to follow that path and
checking up on them to see if somebody fell behind or was led astray.
The inculcation of good habits not only gives one a steady
base in personality formation but also creates the bedrock of a strong and
resilient personality, promoting a healthy lifestyle that ensures protection
from diseases and optimal functioning.
Conclusion
The benefits of sports and athletics extend beyond just a
sport or a game in a school. They are instrumental in the development of a
child not only physically but also in their mental, social and academic
prowess. Therefore, it's necessary to give children adequate exposure to
sports and let them bond with it and bond while doing it.