Promotes good health
Sports is among many ways that are quantified into a general term, ‘Physical Activity – PA’. The human body requires substantial physical activity engagement for several reasons among which most of them are health-related. In the contemporary world, life-threatening health conditions such as diabetes, health failure among other pulmonary diseases have been linked to diminishing societal engagements on physical activities. Various research finding has stated that people who completely or at minimal frequencies engage into physical activities have greater risks and odds of being diagnosed with various conditions such as obesity, high cholesterol levels and they are also at the risk of having cardiac attacks. Based on these health concerns, it is important to encourage kids to be involved in sporting activities to have better and healthy lifestyles now and in the future (Stricker, 2009).
There are several ways to encourage a person to engage in preferred activities. The convincing power depends on various factors such as age, environments, and the mode of communication among other considerations. For instance, the response of a 5-year child will be different compared to a 15-year pupil because of the differences in mental states, their surroundings and emotional interferences. Therefore, parents and guardians should develop schemes to be used in encouraging the children to participate in physical activities and sports by providing the relevant information. Children tend to trust on things that the parents or their nearest guardian participate in, hence directly learning and being inspired by the dedications and the perceived benefits. It is also important to educate the kids on the importance of sports using the most relevant language they can understand and appreciate.
External players such as the health organizations both national and international such as Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have shown interest in encouraging parents to pass information and sporting skills to their children. This has been perceived to one of the most responsive methods of creating healthy generations in the future (Freeman, 2013). This determination is based on the assumption that if the children enjoy sports among other physical activities, the skills will also be passed to their children. Therefore, this paper is focusing on highlighting the key reasons as to why kids should be encouraged to participate in sports and outline ways that should be used effectively to transform their mentality towards physical exercises.
Participation in physical activities has various advantages to the children to both their social and academic life. These important points should be outlined to the children so that they perceive intrinsic motivation towards engaging in sports. Personal motivation would be more effective than forcing the children to participate either in sports a child does not like or because of other personal reasons. Based on the instilled information on the importance of sports and engaging on physical activities, children should be left to make personal decisions or parent/guardian/tutor/coach assisted decision on the best games based on physical ability and willingness. The importance of encouraging kids to do sports are discussed below.
Improves self-esteem and social skills
Participating in sports and/or other physical activities promotes good health. It does not only benefit children but also throughout the lifetime of a participant. Therefore, kids should be educated and informed that being a regular participant in sports of vigorous physical activities reduces the chances and risks of several health concerns at a young age and through their lifetime. It is also obvious that those who participate in sports will be more aware of their personal health, hence being able to determine healthy feeding. Parents, coaches, teachers and guardians should understand that encouraging kids to participate in physical activities will help the children grow was health sensitive individuals in the future because they will understand risks related to poor diets and lack of sufficient exercises. Due to such sensitization, they will willingly continue to participate in physical activities and sports in their adulthood (Bendíková & Dobay, 2017). Exercises also help in controlling weight which among disturbing phenomena in an individual’s life. As a result, the kid will reduce body fat and attain strong bones and muscles.
Engaging in sports and physical activities put the children in interactive environments with their fellow students, coaches and parents. This interaction process helps the children develop their personal self-esteem, hence improving their development process both socially and academically. Such self-realization helps them in understanding their strength at an early stage, hence improving the chances of them being prospects in the future. For instance, a child might be talented in a particular sport. It will be close to impossible to realize such a golden skill without being engaged in the sport. The commendation that the participating children receive from their coaches improve their personal self-esteem, irrespective of whether the comments are positive or negative. The positive comments help them work hard to maintain their achievement the negative views are stepping grounds for improvements. At this stage, they also learn to accept critics constructively and perform self-evaluation, hence making efforts towards future improvements(Hinch, 2017).
Parents with all the best of their children, hence making an obvious recommendation to the best engagements thought to make positive influence towards their success. Most parents thought that sports make more of destructive than constructive influences to the life of a child. As a result, the rate at which they encourage their students to participate in sports and physical activities reduced. In contrary, studies have shown that engaging in sports has a positive impact on the academic performance of the students (Hinch, 2017). Also, there is a higher chance of experiencing academic improvements for progressive involvement in team sports. The correlation between individual’s health and physical activities, also explain the importance of staying healthy and fit in academics. Healthy children translate to better mental health, hence positively influencing their concentration in academics.
Enhances academic performance
The social skills gained from sports by children will help them throughout their entire lifetime. Some of the social skills they learn are hard work, perseverance, patient, leadership and teamwork skills (Tassel, 2017). These skills are applicable at every stage in life. They can also use them in school by impossible the same strength in studying, hence becoming successful in academics. Therefore, sports helps children learn more about what the students and teachers can in a more practical manner. Their interactions with other students also improve their communication skills and they learn how to relate with their fellows and coaches/mentors in a more respectful and engaging way. Such qualitative skills can be helpful in their future career.
Due to the continued participation in physical exercises, the kids’ aerobic endurance and flexibility is improved, which is important for health purposes. The flexibility will enable them to participate in different activities which might also emerge to be their source of income. For instance, they can be part of acrobatic teams among other entertainment groups that organize paid performances.
Physical exercises and sports can also act as therapies, which help the kids lower their anxiety, stress and depression levels. These results in improved health and quality of life, hence contributing to further successes in life like having good sleep.
Several effective ways can be used to encourage the kids to participate in sports and improve on physical activities engagement. Traditionally, schools included physical exercise (PE) sessions and youth sports events to encourage students to participate in sports and improve their engagement in physical exercises. These methods have not shown effectiveness in increasing the number of students who later continue exercising in their adulthood. This is a clear indication that the students and children do not enjoy the PE session and youth sports. Based on this situation, better ways of encouraging and motivating children to participate in sports should be developed shift the current mentality. These methods should be collaborative, respective the physical ability of the kids and their likes and preferences. The motivational process can be sectioned into steps for more promising outcomes (Christopher, 2017).
Firstly, it is the responsibility of a parent, guardian or a coach to guide the kids on choosing the perfect game based on various factors: their preferences, age and capability. Studies have shown that forcing a child to participate in a certain sporting activity might lead to drop out due to boredom or the student can show resistance. This approach might even improve the chances of continuing even after growing up. It will also be good to advise on a game that will not exceed the limit of financing capability to ensure that there are no disappointments in future.
Inculcates life skills
Secondly, after the kid has selected the best sporting activity, it is important for the parent to make full support by purchasing the required materials and equipment. For instance, swimming requires costumes to effectively help in the swimming process. It can be also important to employ a tutor or attach them to a team to employ them enjoy and participate progressively. They can also continue with the sport in school and in future. In the contemporary society, sports also make careers and they can be a source of income for an individual, hence making a better life. The costumes should always be in the right conditions to avoid injuries and inconveniences, which might lead to disappointment.
Thirdly, the parent should not only provide guidance and material things, it is also important to show direct support by sometimes accompanying them to the training grounds and ensuring that they are available during important occasions such as competitions. In this manner, the kids will feel more appreciated and fully supported, hence developing more interests with the sports. As a result, the relationship between the parents and kids is improved for spending precious time together. It should also be noted that pointing out the achievements will help the kids aspire to do more. However, the negatives can be used as references to avoid repetitions and propel improvements.
Finally, the parents/guardians should teach and inform the kids about the importance of acquiring experience in the particular sport(s). Their understanding will help in propelling their dreams and challenging them in turning the sports into a more valuable life experience. Positive sentiments such as encouraging the kids to work hard and embrace teamwork should also be made progressively to help them build the skills firmly. Following these steps might help the parents succeed in motivating their kids to engage in sports and physical activities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the current society should encourage kids to engage in sports by educating them on the risks involved with idleness and lack of doing exercises. Children should be guided effectively in choosing their sporting activities. Adhering to these habits will help in creating a healthy generation, which understand the importance of physical exercises in health and education. Parents and teachers should work collaboratively towards ensuring that the mentality of students about education is successfully re-installed into a better understanding. Parents can also act as examples by engaging in physical exercises with their kids to act as base examples.
Various tools have been developed to educate children and parents among any other interested party on the importance of sports and physical exercises. For example, CDC developed a tool know as VERM.TM It’s what you do to guide and encourage the interested parties especially children to increase their sporting frequencies to do away with health-related threats (CDC, 2007). Therefore, parents can guide their kids on using this tool to learn why they should do physical exercises. Such tools help them understand benefits of sports and therefore being able to build them up towards their adulthood (Bendíková & Dobay, 2017). Finally, we can conclude that educating and encouraging kids on sport and physical exercises will bear better fruits than forcing them.
|
Time spent on Physical exercises in a week (Hours) |
Quality of Sleep (Bad, Good) |
Class concentration (Bad, Good) |
Academic performance |
BMI level |
|
0 |
||||
|
1 |
||||
|
2 |
||||
|
3 |
||||
|
4 |
||||
|
5 |
||||
|
6 |
||||
|
Above 7 |
Filling the table above helps in determination of how the physical exercises are impacting the lives of the kids, which is both on social and academic life.
References
Bendíková, E., & Dobay, B. (2017). Physical and Sports Education as a Tool for Development of a Positive Attitude toward Health and Physical Activity in Adulthood. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 6(1). https://dx.doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2017.1.14
(2007). VERB: CDC’s Youth Campaign – Home. Cdc.gov. Retrieved 20 November 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/youthcampaign/
Christopher, D. (2017). How to Encourage Children in Sports. Livestrong.com. Retrieved 20 November 2017, from https://www.livestrong.com/article/177821-how-to-encourage-children-in-sports/
Freeman, W. (2013). Physical Education, Exercise and Sport Science in a Changing Society. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.
Hinch, W. (2017). 9 Reasons why kids should play the sport. Blog.pitchero.com. Retrieved 20 November 2017, from https://blog.pitchero.com/9-reasons-why-kids-should-play-sport
Stricker, P. (2009). Sports Skill Development in Kids. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 8(3), 109-110. https://dx.doi.org/10.1249/jsr.0b013e3181a60b67
Tassel, C. (2017). 7 Benefits of Team Sports. Letsplay.com. Retrieved 20 November 2017, from https://www.letsplay.com/get-inspired/why-play-important/7-benefits-team-sports#.WhK43jdx200.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
