Athletics Provides Benefits for Kids Beyond Just Being Fun

Playing on a sports team provides many great opportunities for a child to learn skills that can be difficult to teach in other environments. Team sports require you to think about other people while at the same time working together toward a mutual goal. The idea that when you work together you can achieve greater success epitomizes what we call teamwork. The metaphors that we use about working together as a team can also be used in so many other contexts outside of sports competition.

Work ethic is a strong lesson emphasized in youth sports. Just as teachers have young children read every day in the classroom and ask that they read at home, coaches ask the same thing from kids on their teams. A baseball coach will ask kids to practice throwing and catching a ball and swinging a bat. The children who do these things every day, not just at a scheduled practice, build the skill much faster than the ones who don't practice at home. When children see their reading level get better with practice and then they see their throwing, catching, shooting, or kicking getting better with practice, it sends a powerful message: hard work pays off. Because practice is part of playing on the team, it's something they do without questioning it. Very few kids would ask their coach, “Why do we have to practice? Why can't we just play the games?” because they know the answer. This is an extremely valuable lesson to teach children in this generation. There is very little instant gratification in athletics.

Another big part of athletics is communication. The more settings in which kids get to practice communication, the better. Playing a sport opens up many new opportunities. To start with, following instructions from a coach can be a new experience for young children. Parents and teachers are the adults they're used to listening to, but they see them daily and don't really see it as a choice. On the other hand, listening to a coach—a brand new authority figure—can take some getting used to. Coaches often have very strict rules, usually centered on safety, and they enforce them a little differently than teachers and parents. Most coaches who work with very young children understand that the purpose of participation at 5 or 6 years old is to foster a love of exercise and organized sports, but as the kids get older the pampering disappears.

Coaches have a specific goal: to improve the skills of their players while fostering a love of the game and commitment to the team. Coaches don't text, email, or instant message their players during practice, they talk to them and model for them what they expect the child to do.

Getting better takes time and practice. With this generation, children and teens have come to expect everything quickly. Perseverance and working toward a goal can be difficult qualities to instill in youth today. With athletics, there's no way around it. To learn a sport, a child needs to experience hours of practice and coaching to get better. It doesn't matter how coordinated or fast they might be, they need to teach their muscles to move the way they want them to for each particular sport. That comes with a lot of practice.

Not interested in sports? This post focused on the role that athletics can play in a child's life and the benefits of participating in organized sports. However, many activities can provide the same experiences. If your child is not interested in sports, you can apply these same tips and recommendations to the activities of their choice. For instance, playing an instrument requires practice and perseverance to get better. It also offers the opportunity to receive coaching from another adult. Participating in scouting or similar organized groups can also offer the same opportunities. Scouts have to work to earn badges, participate in community service activities, and communicate with others. Finally, theater is very similar to playing on a sports team. It requires a significant time commitment, and your child will need to learn to manage personal responsibilities with rehearsals. In addition, adult coaches teach and model the craft for the cast. And again, practice is essential to getting better and earning the roles your child may want.