Exercise, team player / teamwork, skills of leadership, self-esteem, social skills, skills in academics, life skills / life lessons and time management are some of the benefits of team sports for kids.

Team sports are sports or activities which include two or more than two players. In these sports, all players share a common objective. Team sports involve players who are divided into two opposing teams where the two teams compete with each other to win. Team sports are physical games or activities which have direct interaction between players. There are different types of team sports.

Read More: Health Benefits of Playing Sports for Children

• Some team sports have a set of rules in order to score points, like:
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Cricket
  • Hockey
  • Volleyball
  • Throwball
  • Rugby
  • Baseball
  • Lacrosse
  • Polo

• Some team sports do not have rules to score points or don’t involve points at all, like:
  • Boat racing
  • Swimming
  • Rowing and sailing sports

Read More: 11 Tips to Protect Sporty Kids from Injuries

• Some team sports involve championship standings like first, second and third where the players are not divided into teams but they compete against each other, such as:
  • Cycling
  • Racing
  • Motorsports
• Some team sports do not involve an opposing team. In such team sports, everybody work in a team to achieve a common goal, like:
  • Mountaineering

These team sports are not only beneficial physically for kids but they also mentally and emotionally support kids in many ways. Being on a Team sports offers an important life skill to kids.

11 Ways Team Sports Can Benefit Your Child

Exercise

A regular exercise is good for the body as well as the mind. Exercise helps kids in staying active which subsequently improves the flexibility of muscles, gives strength to the body and also increases the accuracy of their immunity system. Exercise reduces the risk of many diseases and infections like diabetes, blood pressure, heart issues and certain types of cancer. Apart from this, a regular exercise gives positivity to depression, anxiety and it reduces stress. It is very effective in promoting a better sleep improving memory.

Team player / Teamwork

Team player or Teamwork is the ability to work well with others in a group to achieve a common goal. It requires coordination, responsibility and problem-solving skills. Playing team sports involves playing with a team. Hence, it inculcates the required team player skills in the kids over time and this also reflects in areas other than sports.

Skills of Leadership

Leadership is very crucial in a game and as well as in life. It increases efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. Learning to play with people collectively teaches kids some of the most important leadership qualities like:

• Trust
• Relationship building
• Creativity
• Communication
• Commitment
• Passion
• Confidence
• Positive attitude

Team sports give kids the skills of leadership which help them to motivate and inspire themselves and their team in order to achieve the goal.

Self-Esteem

Self-esteem refers to the level of confidence and positivity that one has about their own personality. This increases success, accuracy, better indulgence and efficiency. Low self-esteem leads to poor mental health, depression and anxiety issues. Hence, it is important to build up good self-esteem right from childhood.

Social Skills

Social skills involve interaction with other kids and communicate verbally and by gestures. It also involves appearance, body language, confidence levels, etc. Team sports help kids to work better with others and to follow the rules. Interaction and communication are important social factors as they involve communicating thoughts, ideas, feelings, emotions and messages with others. This also develops relationship skills in kids.

Time Management

Time management provided by team sports is the most vital element needed these days and if kids learn it right from the beginning, it would be a great aid for them for almost anything in life. If the time is managed in the right way, it helps to achieve more in less time. Thus, the extra time can be utilized in various other activities. Keeping a track and creating schedules to manage academics, social life, family time, rest and extra curricular activities improve time management skills. It also creates a sense of responsibility.

Skills in Academics

Playing team sports increases dedication, hard work, commitment to work, efficient efforts, problem-solving capability. Kids will learn through team sports that all the effort and hard work lead to excellent results in the end. The same will be applied in academics too.

Life Skills / Life lessons

Life skills are considered to be the most prime skills of all. Team sports teach kids some of the most significant life skills like discipline, patience, hard work, effort, perseverance, optimism, getting back on feet after losing, etc. This helps a lot over time. Team sports teach kids that winning is not the most crucial aspect by showing kids a bigger picture. Most of all, it shows kids how to have fun without letting the winning or losing factor dominate.

Physical fitness

Athletic training strengthens the body, develops coordination and promotes physical fitness. Through sports, kids will learn to maintain physical fitness in a fun way. This encourages the kids to develop healthy living habits. Once these habits are inculcated in the young age, it is more likely to continue throughout their life. It also helps in combating major health issues in the future.

Learn to Respect

Rules and authority of the sport teach kids about respect. Kids will be taught to respect the coach and the rules of the game to avoid later consequences if not respected. They are also taught to treat everyone equally with respect including their teammates, coach, opponents regardless win or lose.

Stress Buster

Team sports is a fun way of achieving physical activity, social and good mental life as it acts as a stress buster. A research was conducted which involved a set of people who indulge in individual workouts and fitness and another set of people who indulge in team sports and fitness involving interactions with people. It was found that people who involved in individual sports experienced no improvement in their stress levels, but people who played team sports experienced a 26% reduction in their stress levels. [3]

Nowadays, people don’t find time to relax or be stress-free. Involving in a sport right from childhood increases passion for the kids and also provides some of the above skills like time management skills, physical skills, etc which help to live a healthier life throughout and also lead a stress-free life. Happy Living!