Sports Skills Are Life Skills – What Can Kids Learn From Playing Team Sports?
Developing an interest in sports is something that will take the kids of today far into the future. Exercising is beneficial for both the body and mind, and playing sports is something that teaches kids lots of valuable lessons too. So, what life skills can kids learn from playing team sports?
Our edutainment content for the BC Lions, Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Nashville Predators has shown time and time again that there are so many valuable things kids can take from being part of the team.
Teamwork
Growing as a team is a valuable lesson kids will use for their entire lives. What starts as being part of a team teaches them how to work well with others on group projects for school or work in years to come. Playing sports teaches kids how to be a good teammate and be there for people when they need you. On and off the playing field, kids learn how to support those around them. They will start to look beyond their own self-interest and find ways to contribute to the group.
Adversity
Life has its ups and downs, and everyone faces difficult challenges that are out of their control. Team sports teaches kids how to react to roadblocks in a positive way. Sports are full of adversity and give kids a great opportunity to learn about overcoming difficulties. They also teach kids that problems are temporary, and give them the opportunity to solve them (more on that later!)
There are plenty of negative emotions that come up when playing sports; you’re not going to win all the time, or get picked first all the time, or get praised all the time. Different scenarios can lead to stress, anxiety, sadness, frustration, and even anger. Team sports teaches kids how to deal with these negative emotions and exercising also gives them a healthy outlet to channel any emotions that arise too. A real win-win!
Dealing with Authority
Dealing with authority is a huge part of life. It starts with your parents and moves along to extended family members, teachers, and managers too. Learning how to interact with these people is important for any child’s development, and we all encounter authority figures that we don’t get along with somewhere down the line.
In sports dealing with coaches and referees teaches them that while they won’t always agree with these authority figures, they must respect them. Getting angry with authority figures won’t get them anywhere, and this is an important lesson to learn when it comes to school.
Concentration
Concentration is essential for kids who are playing team sports, and this is another life skill that’s particularly useful for school and work in their future. Exercising in general also helps you improve concentration, motivation, memory, and mood. Physical activity immediately boosts the brain's dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels—all of which affect focus and attention.
Confidence
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of achieving success in sports after months of hard work and hours spent perfecting your technique. Success builds confidence and it gives kids a reason to create new goals and work even harder to achieve them. Being physically active also builds self-esteem, especially when you see results that your hard work is paying off.
Problem solving
There are always a multitude of problems that need to be solved during sports, whether they’re spur of the moment problems or issues that you discuss with your team members to come to a solution. When figuring out the answers to any challenges that arise, kids learn to brainstorm multiple solutions and weigh out the pros and cons of their options, as well as seek support from adults and commit to their final decision. With problems that are much more spur of the moment and don’t allow much time to think, kids learn to quickly find solutions and make decisions that could impact their entire team immediately.
Communication
Being able to communicate effectively is one of the most important skills children can learn, and it will have a positive impact on all their relationships in the long run. Through team sports kids will learn how to take instructions from coaches and referees, which requires strong listening skills. And when kids are struggling, it’s important that they learn how to communicate this to those around them so that they can get the help they need. Passive aggressive behavior just won’t cut it if you want to be a winner!
Relationship building
When kids are part of a sports team, it gives them the opportunity to make lifelong friends who have common interests. And strong relationships lead to winning teams! As mentioned before, open and honest communication is the key to successful relationships with your team members.
Feedback is also super important, and it should extend past telling someone that they did something wrong. While this is essential for improvement, positive feedback should also be prioritized. Winning is the ultimate goal when it comes to most team sports, but it takes time and patience to get there. Kids need to be reminded that they’re doing well every now and again, so they continue to set new goals for themselves and strive for continuous improvement. Positive relationship building means that everything comes from a place of respect. Trust and open-mindedness are also important parts of relationship building that will help kids strengthen their connection to others in the long run.
Self-awareness
Self-awareness is pivotal when it comes to being successful in team sports. It helps kids to take responsibility for their actions and make better choices in the future when things don’t go as planned. Being self-aware means kids understand their strengths and weaknesses, thoughts, emotions, motivation, habits, values and beliefs. Sports requires a lot of self-reflection, which helps them to develop self-awareness in the long run.
Nashville Predators sports book
Mini Case Study Alert!
In the past, Kidzsmart partnered with the Nashville Predators to create sports books for kids that both educated families on hockey and promoted healthy living and the teaching of life skills.
The edutainment content encouraged healthy eating, meal planning, and promoted regular exercise too. Youth sports are a great way of developing life skills for kids, and they were able to acquire them through participation with this program.
Some of these skills include:
Development of self-esteem
Leadership
Teamwork
Goal setting
Key social skills and communication
Time management between school and team commitments
Respect
Does any of this sound familiar in the workplace? Sports don’t just teach in-game fundamentals but also help prepare kids with the skills they will need later in life. A strategy that promotes these core skills is essential when creating a youth sports program as the learning doesn’t stop after the final whistle is blown.
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About Kidzsmart Communications
We believe your content should be more than just another coloring book. Kidzsmart is a creative agency that is is your spokesperson to modern families, and we’re dedicated to contributing to the greater wellbeing of kids.
For over 20 years we’ve worked with the government, healthcare, and educations sectors as well as global brands in the restaurant and hospitality, tourism, and professional sports industries. Our team has the expertise to expand your family outreach, and we have the tools to do it right. Top of feed means top of mind, and we’re dedicated to creating greater family content that makes a meaningful impact on the lives of kids and families!
