Social benefits
There are a wide range of social benefits of children playing sport. The value of having young people participating in physical activity can often be overlooked. Yes, they want to have fun and be active and healthy, but what about the importance of making friends, feeling as if they fit in and limiting their amount of free time with no direction.
Involvement in sport is one way young people can develop self-confidence and high self-esteem. Participating in sport and other forms of physical activity can assist in building your child's confidence as well as allowing them to gain a sense of achievement. For a lot of kids sport is their chance to shine, but others can get demoralised. So remember to make sure the sport your child plays is the one they're best suited so that they can maximise their own potential.
Researchers have also suggested that exercise can help to ease some common mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. No one enjoys to be left out of the pack, or be a loner. That’s where sport provides bonding and a sense of belonging. It also challenges them to work in a group, and encourages them to think of others. Kids like to feel part of a team and with sport they can feed off the energy and enthusiasm of their team-mates.
Providing young people with fun activities has proved to be a way to lessen boredom, which can sometimes lead to anti-social behaviour and activity. Studies by the Australian Institute of Criminology show that youth crime can be prevented and the likelihood of re-offending to be reduced by involving them in sport – simply by reducing boredom and decreasing the amount of unsupervised leisure time.
Further Information
Junior Sport Framework – Guideline 1, Long Term Involvement
