Six Psychological Benefits of Children’s Sports

Enrolling your kids in sports can have a positive effect on their lives.

As a lifelong athlete, I have never questioned the benefits of sports for children. That being said, I wouldn’t force my kids to stick with any sports that they didn’t like, but I will always encourage them to try new things, especially when it comes to athletics. The reason for this is that sports can have a very healthy effect on the developing minds of children in several different ways.

As parents we want to make sure our kids grow up to be fully functioning, kind, responsible adults. Taking part in youth sports from a young age can help greatly in this endeavor and take some of the responsibility off our already overworked shoulders. Here are some of the mental health benefits of sports for kids, in case you are on the fence about enrolling your children on a team.

Respect. A huge benefit for parents is that children that take part on sports teams learn respect from authority, which bleeds over into their home life.

Humility. Learning to be humble is an important thing for any child, and nothing is more humbling than losing a game. Teaching your kids to lose with grace will also help them face life’s problems in the future with a positive outlook.

READ MORE: Kids Sports: Rules For Eating and Drinking During the Game

Team building. Engaging in team sports creates camaraderie between kids, and can lead to lifelong friendships that might otherwise never exist.

Patience. Learning a new sport will undoubtedly instill a sense of patience in your child that will be invaluable later on in life, especially at the DMV.

Determination. Sticking with something and never giving up is a very important lesson for every child to learn. Playing sports gives children the ability to see something through to the end, and teaches them to never give up.

Self-Esteem. Perhaps the most important thing to instill in our kids is a sense of self-esteem, and sports do this in a very important way. Sports teach our kids to have a healthy self-esteem when they win, but also that their self-esteem isn’t tied to winning (provided you have a good, supporting coach). This imbues our children with a healthy sense of self, regardless of whether they win or lose.

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