From football to volleyball to lacrosse, playing a team sport can offer mental and physical benefits for your child. Sports participation can play a role in your child's development and teach such life lessons as how to work together with other children. Children who play team sports also learn about taking direction and working with coaches. This can help your child when she takes on the education and working world.
Encourage Teamwork
Playing a team sport requires your child to work with other players to achieve a goal of trying his best. Although winning is not always the object, teamwork teaches your child to rely on others to participate and share. Children learn the importance of passing a ball to let someone else score and how to earn a teammate's trust to share the ball with your child in return.
Encourage Friendship
Team sports provide a social outlet for your child where she can make friends. If your child plays a sport in a league outside of her school, she can meet others and make friends beyond those she sees day to day. The shared competitive aspects of team sports help to bring people together, uniting them through a common experience.
Boost Confidence
Team sports provide an opportunity for your child to have positive mentors and role models in addition to you and your family. Encouraging coaches can motivate your child and give him confidence to succeed in competition and life. Your child's teammates also can motivate him to perform at his best. His inner confidence also might be boosted through excellent personal performance. Through hard work and persistence, your child may see his preparation pay off through scoring a point or making a vital assist.
Good Sportsmanship
When your child plays on a team, her coach and other teammates teach her the value of good sportsmanship. Shaking hands with players on the opposing team before and/or after a game or match is a symbol of goodwill that teaches a child to view the opposing team as fellow competitors. Other sportsmanship lessons can include helping a child on an opposing team up after a fall. Sportsmanship can also extend to how your child plays with other teammates. This includes encouraging other teammates to do their best or helping another teammate if they are struggling with a particular play or position. Encouraging a helpful heart teaches your child the importance of giving and respect for others, which are valuable life lessons.
