What can sporting activities do for my child?

Playing sports not only helps your child’s body stay strong and healthy but can also affect the development of your child’s self-esteem and self-worth. We reflect on the top benefits of being active.

Sport teaches your child key values

Participating on the playground and sports field teaches your child values such as:

1. Honesty: Through fair play and sticking to the rules of the game.
2. Teamwork: Through interaction with others, kids learn to play and work together.
3. Respect: For yourself, others, and equipment used during the games.
4. Ability to follow rules: To listen to someone other than a parent or teacher, and to abide by the rules for the good of the team.
5. Punctuality: Being early, and ready to start when the team does.
6. Controlling emotions: Sporting games and activities can often lead to strong emotions, such as disappointment, frustration, exhilaration, etc. Part of sport is learning how to control your temper and other emotions so that you can participate effectively and in the spirit of good sportsmanship.

Sport helps build strong, healthy bodies

Participating on the playground and sports field helps your child’s:

1. Immune system: Getting enough exercise strengthens the immune system, which fights infections
2. Heart: Improves oxygen supply to the heart muscles and makes the heart more effective.
3. Posture: Improves agility, flexibility, and overall posture.
4. Lungs: Strengthens the muscles used for breathing, making breathing more efficient and increasing lung capacity.
5. Bones: Increases the bone density, making them stronger and less likely to break.
6. Sleep: Improves sleep and reduces anxiety.
7. Concentration: Increased oxygen to the brain helps to improve concentration.

Sport helps develop gross motor skills

Participating on the playground and sports field helps develop your child’s gross motor skills, including:

1. Body awareness
2. Balance
3. Eye-hand and eye-foot coordination
4. Coordination of body sides and crossing the body mid-line
5. Ball skills such as catching, throwing, and kicking