Why Playing Outdoor Sports Should Be Mandatory For Kids
It's really amazing what sports can do to a person's life. Unfortunately, most kids today prefer to stay at home and pound away at their keyboards instead of playing outdoor sports. I loved playing sports as a kid and played games like soccer, volleyball, basketball and Shotokan till I was well into my teens. I just could not resist the feel of soft grass under my feet and cool breeze blowing into my face. Playing sports not only built my strength and stamina, but it also taught me some valuable lessons in life. I owe my impeccable immunity and robust health to my habit of playing sports. Here I list some of the reasons that make me feel sports should be mandatory for each kid:
1) Building Great Health And Stamina
Sports have no comparison when it comes to building health, stamina and immunity. The more you play, the healthier you get, it's as simple as that. Playing sports everyday increases blood flow to all parts of the body and keeps fat away. The exhaustion from sports results in a good night's sleep so the kids feel fresh and well rested in the morning. It has been shown that kids who play sport regularly fall sick less often than kids who don't.
2) Sports Teaches Teamwork
Team games like basketball, soccer and baseball require the whole team to play in sync and be on the same page all the time. This induces the sense of team work among kids. In future whenever they are made part of a team, they can gel quickly with the team members and work towards a common goal effortlessly. If a kid is made captain of his team, he learns leadership abilities that can help him in his career.
3) Handling Peer Pressure
The kids can be very competitive. While playing with each other, they almost always strive to win. Giving his best under pressure and coming out on top can enable a kid to handle peer pressure better than the kids who do not play sports. Many kids do not perform well in school and colleges due to tremendous peer pressure and kids who play sport regularly can handle such competitions quite well.
4) Less Chances Of Falling In Bad Company
Kids who are engaged in sports every day and spend time with a closely knit group of peers have less chances of falling prey to unwanted company. This prevents the kids from straying into lives of crime or taking up drugs when they reach adolescence. This, in my eyes, is one of greatest benefits of letting kids take up sports.
5) Better Focus And Concentration
Most sports require constant focus throughout the game for someone to perform well. As kids play a sport more and more, they learn how to focus well and improve their game. This trait might come in handy when it comes to studies or other extra-curricular activities. In fact it is often observed that popular athletes are very focused and meticulous in whatever they do.
6) Breaking Religious Boundaries And Preventing Racism
Kids are just kids in their peers' eyes. They do not know anything about religion, race or gender. Playing together as kids can drive away seeds of religious fanaticism and racism from their minds and instead fill them with love and respect for other people. These kids often grow up to be wonderful human beings.
7) Channeling Aggression And Emotions
Teenagers are full of different emotions. This is the time when the world around a person changes very fast and keeping up with the changes can leave him stressed, angry and confused. Sports offer a great way to channel whose emotions out of the system safely without any violent outbursts.
8) We Might Get A New Champion
Often we find that a kid is particularly talented at a sport. If he/she does not get the chance to play regularly, the talent will be wasted and the world will lose a potential champion. On the other hand, if the kid is allowed to play regularly, he/she can one day become a top player of that sport and become famous.
These are the main benefits of playing sports that I can think of at the moment. Any of these reasons should be good enough to coax your kid into playing an outdoor sport on a regular basis. Once they start liking the outdoors, they will never again want to miss the experience.
1) Building Great Health And Stamina
Sports have no comparison when it comes to building health, stamina and immunity. The more you play, the healthier you get, it's as simple as that. Playing sports everyday increases blood flow to all parts of the body and keeps fat away. The exhaustion from sports results in a good night's sleep so the kids feel fresh and well rested in the morning. It has been shown that kids who play sport regularly fall sick less often than kids who don't.
2) Sports Teaches Teamwork
Team games like basketball, soccer and baseball require the whole team to play in sync and be on the same page all the time. This induces the sense of team work among kids. In future whenever they are made part of a team, they can gel quickly with the team members and work towards a common goal effortlessly. If a kid is made captain of his team, he learns leadership abilities that can help him in his career.
3) Handling Peer Pressure
The kids can be very competitive. While playing with each other, they almost always strive to win. Giving his best under pressure and coming out on top can enable a kid to handle peer pressure better than the kids who do not play sports. Many kids do not perform well in school and colleges due to tremendous peer pressure and kids who play sport regularly can handle such competitions quite well.
4) Less Chances Of Falling In Bad Company
Kids who are engaged in sports every day and spend time with a closely knit group of peers have less chances of falling prey to unwanted company. This prevents the kids from straying into lives of crime or taking up drugs when they reach adolescence. This, in my eyes, is one of greatest benefits of letting kids take up sports.
5) Better Focus And Concentration
Most sports require constant focus throughout the game for someone to perform well. As kids play a sport more and more, they learn how to focus well and improve their game. This trait might come in handy when it comes to studies or other extra-curricular activities. In fact it is often observed that popular athletes are very focused and meticulous in whatever they do.
6) Breaking Religious Boundaries And Preventing Racism
Kids are just kids in their peers' eyes. They do not know anything about religion, race or gender. Playing together as kids can drive away seeds of religious fanaticism and racism from their minds and instead fill them with love and respect for other people. These kids often grow up to be wonderful human beings.
7) Channeling Aggression And Emotions
Teenagers are full of different emotions. This is the time when the world around a person changes very fast and keeping up with the changes can leave him stressed, angry and confused. Sports offer a great way to channel whose emotions out of the system safely without any violent outbursts.
8) We Might Get A New Champion
Often we find that a kid is particularly talented at a sport. If he/she does not get the chance to play regularly, the talent will be wasted and the world will lose a potential champion. On the other hand, if the kid is allowed to play regularly, he/she can one day become a top player of that sport and become famous.
These are the main benefits of playing sports that I can think of at the moment. Any of these reasons should be good enough to coax your kid into playing an outdoor sport on a regular basis. Once they start liking the outdoors, they will never again want to miss the experience.
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