When we think back to our childhoods, kicking a ball around, getting involved in a spot of summer rounders, or shooting some hoops at lunchtime feels like a rite of passage. But why is sport so vital in those formative years?
In this article, we’ll look at why showing up, playing by the rules and enjoying a little healthy competition is something that parents, carers and those that work with children of all ages advocate strongly for.
As well as being good fun, sport has benefits in various areas of a child’s development. Here are just some of the ways in which it can help a child thrive.
When you see that you’re not only capable but also improving through hard work can be a huge boost to one's sense of self worth. Imagine being a child and discovering that about yourself for the first time! Sport can bolster children’s self-confidence, which is a foundation they can continue to build on for years to come.
Naturally, sport can be instrumental in helping kids learn to interact with other kids as well as introducing them to adult role models. This only makes them better rounded adults in the future. Here are just some of the ways sport can support social development in children:
Common interests can lead to friends for life, and team activities can help bring kids together in a way that enriches their childhood, and potentially their adulthood too.
Teamwork makes the dream work, as they say, and kids seeing the difference they can make to others encourages them to do it in other areas of life too. Achieving a goal through teamwork isa special experience, and sport is an easy way to access that in childhood.
From learning boundaries to directing their energy positively, sport can develop respect for others in children that sets them up well for later life.
Children go through significant and complex emotional changes throughout their development, and getting active doing something fun can not only be a good way to physically channel any frustration, but clear their mind somewhat too.
A child’s health is of the utmost importance, and just like in adulthood, getting moving is a vital part of keeping this in check. Anyone who interacts with children knows they won’t do anything that they don’t want to, so doing something fun like sport that promotes enjoyment and a healthy body at the same time. Kids exercise doesn’t have to mean an argument!
Not only does heading to training each week give kids an appreciation for routine, but it’ll be easy to see what regular effort can achieve in both an individual and team sense.
It’s safe to say you won’t win all the time in life - we often don’t! Seeing that this is the case and that it’s not the end of the world can help a child manage their expectations, and turn a loss into an opportunity to learn instead of a big deal.
It takes a certain set of skills to inspire a team, recognise the strengths of all its members, and support them to use them wisely when it counts. Sport is a fantastic way to foster these in a child.
Knowing which avenue to go down when it comes to making sport a routine part of your child’s life can be tricky - how do you know what they’ll like? At Camp Beaumont, our half term and school holiday camps for children aged 3-14 at locations throughout London and the south east can give your child a taste of many different disciplines. Kids sports are something we know all about; from football and hockey to golf and even frisbee, it could just spark a long term passion!
We tailor our timetables to the age groups we work with, and our activities to the various abilities present, so you can rest assured knowing that your child is not only entertained, but active and having fantastic fun too.
The staff are brilliant: enthusiastic, kind and engaged. The range of activities is great and the hours are really helpful for working parents. Most importantly our son always comes home happy and tired from a fun day.
