Sometimes it seems like kids these days are glued to electronic devices. Whether it’s a tablet, cellphone, television, or video games, they always seem to be connected to something that’s not human. This isolation and lack of human interaction can undoubtedly hurt the social skills of a developing young mind. Social skills are vital to future success in the adult world. From making friends, making connections, competing for job positions, and being focused and involved at work, it’s important that your kids have the social skills necessary to succeed later in life. Also, constantly being connected to electronics is leading kids to become more and more sedentary, which is leading to a rise in childhood obesity.
So what can you do to help mitigate these issues and encourage your child to find interests that go beyond gluing their eyes to a screen? Enrolling them in team sports might be the answer. Getting your child involved in team sports can benefit them greatly, and can help combat the negative effects of constant electronic connectivity. Team sports can help children develop important life skills they won’t learn on the computer or tablet.
- Team Work
Kids might already know how to play with each other, but working together isn’t always something kids learn on their own. With the guidance of a good coach, children in team sports learn to work together for a common goal. Kids learn to listen to one another, cooperate together, and support each other, all of which are important life skills.
- Healthy Competition
Competition is a big part of life. People need to compete for things like scholarships, job positions, and promotions. Being able to compete in a fair and healthy way will give your kids the drive and motivation they need to succeed without being manipulative or callus. In team sports, kids learn to be competitive while also following the rules set out in the game. They learn that cheating has consequences, like being taken out of the game.
- Emotional Intelligence
An important life skill, and one that employers look for in the people they hire is emotional intelligence. According to Dr. Chris Stankovich, “kids who develop their emotional intelligence gain distinct advantages over their peers when it comes to leadership, team-building and the ability to work successfully in groups”. With emotional intelligence, kids also learn to keep their cool during heated moments in the game, and how to lose gracefully. Having the ability to cope during stressful times and knowing how to recognise and handle their own emotions and the emotions of those around them will help you kids become well rounded people, as well as make them valuable to future employers.
- Healthy Habits
With child obesity rising because of inactive lives and unhealthy diets, putting your kids on a team sport will be a great way to teach your kids healthy habits, and that exercise doesn’t have to be boring. In nearly all sports, running is a huge part of the activity. Running itself can be seen as boring and uneventful, but when you have twelve other kids running around you passing a ball it’s more fun and engaging. Learning to love a sport is a great way to keep active your whole life.
Enrolling your kids in a team sport is going to provide them with useful life skills and a way to escape the traps of electronic devices. There are many sports to choose from, so find one that your child is interested in, and get them involved.
