There’s growing awareness within the parents community that physical fitness apart, sports and games enable children to build character and life skills, writes Mini P

The recently concluded Tokyo Olympics 2020 and India’s unprecedented seven medals haul including a first-ever gold in athletics that attracted over-the-top media and public adulation and big-ticket cash prizes, have aroused public interest in professional sports. There’s growing awareness within the community of parents countrywide that there are rewarding careers in sports and games and that encouraging children to play from young age is necessary to discover their talents for early professional coaching and training.

Moreover, there’s growing awareness that physical fitness apart, playing sports enables children to build character and life skills. “It is crucial to provide opportunities for children to participate in physical education and sports — because these activities give them the chance to play and learn by doing. Whether a child is a high-potential athlete or an average, awkward child, she should have every chance to participate in games and physical activities to develop sportsmanship and learn skills such as teamwork, trust, discipline, dependability, and hard work. Moreover, engaging in sport teaches children several life skills. Parents need to understand that by letting children face on-field and in-arena challenges, they prepare them to confront greater and lesser hardships of life,” writes Dr. George Selleck, a San Francisco-based sports psychologist and founder of Parents for Good Sports and Leading2Play (‘Play: essential pathway for growth — https://www.educationworld.in/play-essential-pathway-for-growth/).

Parents are advised to encourage children to play team, solo, competitive and other types of sports based on their aptitudes and propensities. Their relative benefits:

Team sports. Team sports such as football, hockey and cricket enable shy and only children to build social skills and learn to cooperate with others. It also provides them opportunities to make friends, collaborate with teammates, build camaraderie and motivate and support each other.

Solo sports. Individual games such as tennis, badminton, rollerskating, cycling and skateboarding are suitable for children who may not always have the opportunity to play with peers. Solo sports push children to set personal goals, manage stress, build self-confidence, and develop focus.

Recreational sports. Usually only children who excel choose to play competitively as it requires dedicated coaching programmes and sacrifice of academic learning. The great majority of children play sports for enjoyment and recreation. It builds strong bodies and generates well-being within children. Bouldering, rock climbing, rowing and surfing are enjoyable recreational sports.
“For most people there has to be a defined objective, a definite goal. Without that goal, they think an activity is not worth pursuing. In sports, the opposite is true. Playing for the sake of playing and having fun has prompted the development of some of the world’s best players. No world-beating athlete started running and playing with the objective of becoming a world-beater. They played for fun,” writes Dr. Selleck.

Competitive sports. Choosing to go professional requires parents to enroll children in a good sports coaching centre. Many child athletes train for two-six hours every day, depending on the sport. Parents need to mentally prepare children to face failure, victory, and disappointment. Moreover parents must devote time and energy especially in terms of traveling with children to competitive sports events.

Sports at all ages. Children are usually ready to play team sports at around seven years of age, when their physical ability to throw and catch balls is developed. Younger children benefit from informally playing any type of sports. Allowing free play and choice from youngest age enables parents to spot a child’s interest and talent. For instance, sports such as swimming and running can be started in early childhood.

Fortunately, today, age-appropriate sports equipment is widely available. For instance basketball rings and tennis racquets are available in smaller sizes for younger children.

Also ensure that children choose sports that they can continue to play. For example, a child who becomes interested in lawn tennis after learning to play at a summer camp could become frustrated if her school doesn’t have tennis playing facilities.

Health conditions. Children with health problems can also participate in sports activity. Parents should consult a doctor and choose her sport accordingly with the coach also informed in case first aid/treatment is required during playtime.

Children suffering asthma can play games such as football, gymnastics, golf and cycling. Olympic skiing medalist, Bill Koch, and Olympic swimming medalist, Amy van Kyken, are asthmatic.

Low-impact sports such as tennis and swimming are suitable for obese kids.

Hyperactive children. Some parents complain their children are hyperactive — fidgety, restless, and easily bored. For them sports can prove very beneficial. Playing sports gives hyperactive children much needed energy outlet and develops focus. World famous professional basketball NBA players Jason Kid and Magic Johnson, and American professional skateboarder Tony Hawk were hyperactive children.
Also recommended are martial arts such as karate and taekwondo which build concentration and focus and also improve self-control, flexibility and provide stress relief.

In short, it’s important to expose children to different types of sports and games to enable them to choose their preferred sport.