

“Sports can help children build self-confidence and emotional self-control as long as they have the right support and coaching, primarily from their parents. Similarly the ability to be assertive is useful when contesting the ball in basketball or soccer, to have poise and confidence as the netballer shooting a penalty shot under time pressure, or the ability to regulate breathing when taking the blocks in swimming.”Īnother opinion is offered by Niro Thambipillay, the founder of Family Focused Fathers. “There are certainly a broad range of skills that benefit us across sports – for example an ability to narrow your focus and concentrate is important for the gymnast performing an aerial on beam, the archer shooting at the target and the rugby league player attempting a goal conversion. Some of the many benefits of sport is it’s capacity to develop self-esteem, regulate behaviour and habits, learn leadership and communication skills, learn patience and develop resilience when things don’t go to plan. “Learning to respect authorities (such as your coaches) and developing self-discipline are just a few prime examples of how playing sports teaches crucial life skills.”ĭr Joann Lukins adds: “Sport is a great vehicle for teaching and developing qualities within children.

Learning to work with other people as a team is a skill that goes beyond the soccer field (or any sport you are playing)! truly believe that participating in sports is not just a hobby, dream or job, but incredibly valuable in learning life skills.

If from a young age we are taught the benefits of “type 2 fun” and hone the ability to work towards a greater reward, evidence show s that people are less likely to suffer from depression and experience greater life satisfaction.Ĭoach Renee Lopez, a Recruiting Educator & Consultant, International Speaker, Author, Coaching Educator, Sport & Leadership Expert, says: “. Motivation is finite but our capacity for motivation can be bolstered. Sport encourages the development of this skill set.ģ. Even if you are naturally someone who is happy with your own company or more introverted, there are times when you will need to collaborate. These skills are vital for success as we grow into adults to survive and thrive life’s setbacks and challenges.Ģ. Learning that failure is not the end, but part of the learning experience has far-reaching implications, affecting our self-esteem, our resilience, and our mental agility. The ability to fail and learn from the setback and move forward is a vital life skill. Skills all sports can teach usĮmmanuella Grace, Voice and Peak Performance Coach and Expert at Find Your Voice, outlines 3 reasons why “playing sport is a vital part of our development.” These are:ġ. Lessons that sports teach us can help us develop as players and all round good people too.” – Dean Evans co-founder of The Football Centre. It helps us learn things such as resilience, leadership, accountability, respect and patience. Therefore, the perfect environment for achieving this is during an extracurricular sporting activity. It’s important to remember that life skills are developed and gradually adopted rather than simply taught and learnt. The aim is to get an idea of how participating in a mixture of sports can aid the development of numerous life skills. This blog post will look at a number of different sports, and the life skills they require to succeed, as well as enable you to develop through taking part. “All too often, we focus on results, rather than the process.” – Marguerita Cheng, Blue Ocean Global Wealth These skills are essential skills that are important throughout our lives. Playing sport, interacting with others, and being part of a team enables people to develop numerous skills. However, it is not only the physical benefits of sports that are important. This is great news because the importance of sport in young children has never been clearer with the obesity crisis that we are now facing.

Whether at school or during their leisure time, playing sport is something that most children enjoy, and many will eagerly wait all week for. Almost all children take part in sports, or physical activities as they are growing up.
