When becoming a parent, it is fair to say that we want to give our children everything we can, that will allow them to grow up as happy, healthy and independent young people. That said, it is a real hard job to do that all ourselves, and that we can still give our young ones all these opportunities and attributes but perhaps through different ways. This is where sport comes in to save the day!

There are endless benefits to participating in sport and physical activity for young people, so much so we could write a book! As busy parents, sometimes the time to read a book is hard to find, so we have made a quick roundup of why parents should encourage children to play sport.

S – Social skills

in 2019, there is pretty much a sport out there for everyone! Finding a club or a team that your child has a genuine interest in can help them develop their social skills with likeminded youngsters as they start their sporting journey’s together. You will find them having heaps to speak about, and with a wide range of children from all different backgrounds. Sport can be an excellent way to promote social skills and communication, that is so essential in life!

P – Physical Health

participating in sport from a young age is likely to have many many benefits to your child’s health. Helping improve their fitness, balance, coordination and strength, your little one will grow to being a healthy young person.  Children benefit from these physical fitness attributes as they go through school life, engaging in PE and play in the playgrounds and later on in life it is likely they will maintain this physical lifestyle if instilled from a young age.

O – Organisation

As independence grows through sport, so will organisation. When children develop their interest in a sport it is likely they will be thinking non-stop about it. Sport requires organisation to run effectively, surrounding young ones in this environment will help make organisation become second nature to them. Who knows, maybe they will even start laying out their kit and cleaning their own football boots for Saturday morning football club…

R – Resilience

Sport teaches everyone that you lose some, and you win some. Facing set backs and achieving goals come hand in hand and develop the resilience of an individual. Being able to take feedback on board is part of being a resilient character, showing the ability to bounce back no matter what you have faced.

T – Team work

The age old saying ‘There is no I in team’ tells us exactly why sport is great at developing team work. Children are constantly in environments where they have to work together, by engaging in sport they are going to become an even better team player. Learning skills such as listening, negotiating, caring and taking the lead are all imperative in team sports. And what better feeling than achieving something after hard team work!

Don’t hang about, get your child involved in sport today, and watch the benefits last a lifetime!