Striking a balance between learning and playing is a goal many parents struggle with. You want your children to be both physically and academically fit, but worry that heavy involvement in sports takes away from time that could be spent improving grades. Your child's ability to balance the two will depend on his personality and ability levels, but there are both positive and negative effects on schoolwork to consider when encouraging your child's involvement in sports.
Positive Effects
Participating in sports leads to children being more physically fit. A study by Active Living Research found that "physically active and fit children tend to have better academic achievement." The study noted that a fit child has more stamina and often a higher ability to concentrate for longer periods of time. Assistant professor of sociology Beckett Broh found that involvement in sports improves graduation rates and the overall high school experience, as students feel more connected to their peers, a finding published in the book "Sociology of Education."
Negative Effects
Playing a sport can become detrimental to your child's academic achievement when the pressure becomes too high to excel in the sport. In their article "Problems in Youth Sports," James White and Gerald Masterson, Ph.D., note that many young athletes "spend less time just being kids" and feel stressed from busy sports schedules. Parents and coaches may run the risk of creating anxiety and depression in child athletes when they push them to be perfect on the field and at school, often resulting in the reverse of the intended effect.
Role Models
White and Masterson urge parents to pay attention to who is coaching your child. Your child's coach is a role model in his life, whether negative or positive, and therefore the coach's attitude towards competition and achievement influences your child. A coach who touts the benefits of education and encourages your child to try her best but enjoy her sport will help keep her focused on her responsibilities on and off the field. As a parent, you can teach your child to keep her schedule of practices and assignments organized by helping her set priorities daily. Encourage her to communicate openly about the challenges of balancing sports and schoolwork with you, her coach and her teachers.
Considerations
Team sports are not for everyone. If your child does not enjoy or excel at team sports, or if you feel he is not ready to play on a team, consider individual sports that can be done in a group setting, such as martial arts or dance. The positive effects of sports on academics come from the physical and mental discipline of studying a sport. The type of sport is not crucial as long as your child participates willingly.
References
- Active Living Research; Active Education - Physical Education, Physical Activity and Academic Performance; Fall 2007
- America.gov Archive; Equality in Sports Participation Benefits All, Says Expert; Jeffrey Thomas; April 2008
- The University of Georgia; Putting Knowledge to Work; Tips For Parents; August 2001
- FamilyResource.com; Problems in Youth Sports; James White and Gerald Masterson, Ph.D.
- Illinois Early Learning Project; Organized Sports and Young Children
- FamilyEducation.com; How to Help Your Child Juggle Sports, School, and Life
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