young roger federer, sports illustrated, sourced at pinterest
One of the main reasons why I strongly believe every kid should practice some kind of sport or physical activity is because of its educational and social factor. We are not necessarily talking about highly competitive or professional sport as by no means this level is necessary to benefit from the positive effects. Just have your child pick a physical activity he or she enjoys and see what happens. The below benefits listed are referring to a discussion about tennis, but can easily be applied to other physical activities, too
Self-confidence by practicing tennis, a child has the opportunity to discover talents and capacities but also limits. Learn, repeat, improve, fail, recover, overcome, succeed … all of these situations constantly give the opportunity to become more self-conscious and to gain self-confidence in one’s own skills
Discover the sense of “why” the famous “why” that so often comes back in life. Why am I doing this? Does this still make sense? Where does it lead me? What do I want to get out of it? Tennis makes sure you repeatedly ask these questions and find honest answers
Discipline no sport or physical skill falls from heaven. You might be more talented for one or the other, but believe, there is a lot that can be achieved solely through discipline and patience. Not necessarily is the best tennis player also the most skilled one. Discipline can help when it comes to maintaining healthy eating habits and body hygiene. Routines reflecting itself in practicing certain exercises until getting green requires discipline and patience
Resilience tennis, and even if it is only in competitive games during practice, gives the chance to deal with failure and frustrations on a weekly or daily basis. Every physical activity eventually can help to overcome the frustration of a bad day or setbacks in life. Sport forces a kid to endure and put wins and defeats into a long-term perspective
Emotional balance sport teaches emotional stability of mind, which can be very helpful in a world of constant uncertainty. By learning not to over-dramatize losses whilst also not to over-celebrate wins, children increasingly manage to control their emotions. Especially match situations or competition require mental strength. In tennis a whole match can turn around just by losing focus on a single point
Decision-making tennis is an individual sport primarily although one is still surrounded by a team. In a match situation though, it is just you. Coaches cannot support from the outside. Tactics discussed before the match might have to be adjusted and it is up to the player to decide when. Even for single points within the match one has to take quick decisions and rely on the instincts. All these capacities will turn out very valuable for life
Independence to a certain extent sport can help children to become more independent. Depending on the level of play, the kid might have to travel without parents, or join an academy away from home or participate in a holiday practice camp. No matter, all these different experiences will help children to become more self-reliant, to socially adapt themselves and to be comfortable with a given level of loneliness, too
Empathy even in tennis you are part of a team. It makes the kid discover team spirit and empathy for its members. By joining a sport, children can build social relationships and learn to manage and maintain these. A skill particularly helpful in the digital world when physical social contacts get more and more reduced
As we see, sport can have an enormous positive impact on education. Be reminded though that education requires time and time requires patience. Equally important to finding the sport or physical activity one is passionate about, it is to maintain the passion in the long run!!