Developing Life Skills Through Sports

Published 12 January 2022 at 15:24

Tickikids Blog Dubai >  After-School Activities >  Developing Life Skills Through Sports

Luckily, most children take up a certain sport while growing up. That may be a PE class in school or an organized practice in leisure time. Where and when children do sports does not really matter - what matters is the fact that almost all children cannot wait for their practice or sport class to start. These are, of course, great news, especially today when children's obesity is more than common. However, sports do not only have physical benefits, they also have emotional ones. Namely, when taking part in a certain sport and when being a part of a team, children start developing skills that are essential for a normal and healthy life. And, that will be our topic of the day. So, if you want to know more about developing life skills through sports, keep on reading.

Teamwork and Leadership

Without a doubt, one of the biggest benefits that come from sports (almost all sports) is learning how to be a part of a team. Teamwork is something that follows us through our entire lives. Just think about it - children will need this skill in school, when doing their job, when being in a relationship, and when, ultimately, raising their own children. Moreover, teamwork teaches one the importance of sharing, listening, speaking, boosting productivity, encouraging innovation, providing support, etc.

On the other hand, we have leadership. Being a leader can go together with being a part of a team. But, it can also oppose this teamwork concept. Either way, leadership is another life skill children develop through sports. Leadership often leads to academic excellence and bringing up children that are always willing to take charge. In short, leadership is a life skill that 'molds' children into strong, independent, and successful people.

Life skills such as leadership and teamwork are best acquired through sports.

Healthy Lifestyle 

Whoever said that a healthy lifestyle is not a habit is terribly wrong! Leading a healthy life is learned. If you teach your children from an early age that eating the right foods, exercising, spending time outside, being surrounded by people, etc., is important, your children will grow up doing that. That is, your children will grow up to be healthy people. And, if you teach them the opposite, or if you do not teach them at all, the chances of them having physical and emotional problems later in are very high. 

However, even though acquiring this habit is best done with parents, it can also be done with coaches and peers. Thus, try to enroll your children in as many sporting activities as you can. That can be any sport. They can be a part of a group by playing football, basketball, volleyball, etc. Or, they can take part in some individual sport like tennis, fencing, swimming, etc. Or, you can do yoga together, or even martial arts or dancing. 

Respect 

Nowadays, self-doubt in children is very common. These children grow up being insecure, shy, and unprepared for life. But, sports are something that can prevent this. By being a part of a team, especially by being a part of a successful team, almost all children develop life skills such as resourcefulness, focus, self-control, and also, self-respect. The last one is extremely important! Self-respect is another thing all children learn through sports.

But, that is not all. That is, self-respect is not the main life skill children acquire through sports - so is respecting others. Parents usually fail to teach their children this. This is because they do not see the behavior at school, or when they are with their friends for example. And, even though teachers and other parents are often willing to help, they usually have their hands full. However, that is not the case with coaches and trainers. Their main job is to teach youngsters about respect and all the benefits of it.

When it comes to respect, coaches are the best people for the job.

Hard Work

If you ask personal trainers from DubaiPT, they will all tell you that if you put hard work into something, nine times out of ten, you will get your reward. Hard work always pays itself. Of course, sports are meant to be fun and exciting, but when you really think about them, they are also hard to do. Sports require a constant commitment, competition, perseverance, working under pressure, etc. They require not giving up even when things do not look good. But, not giving up is also a skill, just like hard work is. And, according to many experts, there is not a better place to learn these very important life skills than in a sports hall. 

It is important to teach your children that everything in life comes from hard work, and from hard work only. Sports can be a great life lesson as they will be the ones teaching your children that if they want something, they will need to work hard for it. Hard work in sports can lead to hard work in school and to hard work in a job later on. 

Sports are more about hard work than about fun and games.

Communicating With Others 

With all the smart gadgets we have nowadays, children rarely talk to each other. They have their phones, tablets, computers, video games, etc., that is, they have their virtual friends and virtual fun. But, we can all agree that these are far from healthy. And, even though you cannot prevent your children from using these, you can at least 'force' them to take up a certain sport where they will be phone-free for at least a couple of hours. Trust us, even this small amount of time can teach them how to communicate with others and not be dependent on 'virtuality'.

Communication is a very important part of our lives, but unfortunately, children who live in this day and age often struggle with it. Thus, do not be a lazy parent and work on this skill with your child. If you cannot be a teacher of this, sport can!