Are Sports Good for Your Student?

Sports can be a contentious issue, especially with students who don’t wish to participate. If you are wondering whether to persist, the answer is definitely yes. Sports help to hone motor skills, they instill confidence and help students develop physically. Exercise helps to develop healthy lifestyles and keeps childhood obesity at bay. Sports also teach a number of healthy social skills like teamwork, practice and discipline.

Benefits of sports
Childhood obesity is growing as our society becomes increasingly sedentary. Video games, computers and TV keep us stationary and prevent healthy activities which help to keep weight down. Sporting activities help to get students outside and moving. Find a sport that suits your student. There is so much to choose from and if the school sports don’t interest them, opt for out of school choices like archery or diving.

Does your Student want to quit?
US research found 70% of students who play sports quit by the time they are 13 because it is no longer fun. There are various reasons for this including too much pressure from parents or coaches, poor relationship with teammates, academic pressure and body image issues. You can encourage your student to stay by finding solutions to their problems. Perhaps you need to back off a little, or find a team outside of school if the coach or other players aren’t getting along with your student. Students play sport to have fun and spend time with their friends so winning shouldn’t be the focus.

Be a good example
The best way to get your students involved in sports is to be involved yourself. Being a good example will help to encourage your students to be active. You should also be a good example when it comes to the social skills that sports teach. This means that you should always be fair, be a good sport and treat authority figures like teachers, umpires and coaches with respect. Instill good sportsmanship in your students and teach them to be a team player.
Bob Cook from Forbes Magazine says the key to enjoying your student’s sporting activities is to not care about the outcome of the game: “I didn’t care whether what was happening on the field would affect my daughter’s future prospects as a softball player. None of it mattered — and, as a result, I am enjoying the sports parent experience so much more.” Cook says the key to sporting success as a family is to be supportive and enthusiastic, but not to stress yourself or your kids out.

Discipline
If your students want to succeed in life, they will have to be disciplined. Discipline will help them to stay dedicated to their goals and give them the strength to work hard. Discipline will help them to overcome adversity and get them through tough times. This means that you have to be a good example when it comes to discipline and encourage them to go to sports practice regularly.

Enroll your students in a sporting activity today and they will reap many benefits both physical and emotional. Allow them to develop at their own pace and don’t put too much pressure on them. Find a sporting activity that they enjoy and excel at to help build confidence and be a great example.