The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports reports that playing sports can help children to improve physical fitness and helps them to develop healthy habits that may last into adulthood. Also, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HSS, states that sports participation by children may improve social well-being, improve academic performance and teach valuable skills.
Physical Benefits
According to Dr. Steven Aldana, professor of exercise science at Brigham Young University, unhealthy habits that can influence heart disease and other chronic diseases start early in life. Organized sports can help children adopt healthy lifestyles that can continue into adulthood. A 2009 study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports found that participating in organized sports during childhood is positively associated with the frequency of physical activity in adulthood.
Social Benefits
The HSS reports that organized sports can introduce children to valuable skills such as discipline, teamwork, leadership and socialization. They also found that children who participate in sports are less likely to become involved with drugs, smoking, gangs and violence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, reports that sports and other physical activities can also help to boost self-esteem in children.
Academic Performance
A 2008 study published in The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity concluded that taking time from academic subjects for more time in sports and physical activities does not hinder academic performance. It also found that adding more time to school subjects by taking time away from physical activities did not increase grades and may be detrimental to health. The CDC also finds that children do better academically when their bodies are fit, whether it be from sports or other physical activities.
References
- The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: Your Child and Organized Sports
- United States Department of Health and Human Services: Physical Activity Fundamental To Preventing Disease
- "The Culprit and the Cure"; Steven G. Aldana, Ph.D.; 2005
- PubMed: Organized Youth Sport as a Predictor of Physical Activity in Adulthood
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The Benefits of Physical Activity
