Five top reasons why girls should participate in sports
Playing sport can help your daughter feel valued and needed - both on and off the field - and improve her self-esteem and mental wellbeing.
Girls who participate in sports get a lot more than just “physical fitness”, according to the Women’s Sports Foundation. Playing sports ensures that girls not only exercise their bodies but their brains as well, contributing to your daughter’s development both psychologically and socially.
We take a look at the many benefits playing sports offers girls, no matter their age.
Academic development
Girls who participate in sports perform better academically. Studies show that girls who participate in sports perform better in school than those who do not. Active girls may have an advantage in the classroom since exercise increases learning, memory, and concentration.
Life skills
From soccer to swimming, to hockey or track, taking part in sports gives girls a group to belong to and friends with similar goals and interests. Girls who participate in sports develop teamwork and goal-setting abilities. Your daughter will learn about teamwork when they work with coaches, trainers, and teammates to win games and achieve goals. Sport teaches girls that when you work hard good things happen. It also teaches them how to deal with defeat in a healthy competitive environment. These abilities will come in handy as your child grows older.
Better health
Sports are beneficial to your child’s health. It increases cardiovascular fitness, promotes healthy growth of bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons, increases coordination and balance, improves sleep, and of course helps reduce childhood obesity. Girls who exercise are also less likely to develop breast cancer or osteoporosis later in life.
Improved self-esteem
Girls who participate in sports have a stronger self-esteem. Why? When you know you can practice, improve, and attain your goals, you gain confidence.
Stress-relief
Exercise in the form of playing sports relieves stress and anxiety. Playing sports might help your daughter feel less stressed and happier. How? Exercise improves a person’s mood by releasing chemicals in the brain. Friendship is also a mood-lifter. Being a part of a team also strengthens friendships. It’s comforting for your daughter to know that her teammates will be there for her on and off the field.
