We all want our children to get the best opportunities when it comes to their education and sometimes parents push a little bit too hard when it comes to academic achievement and it ends up pushing children in the opposite direction. Many children when they get out of school have to go to after-school classes and when they come back home, there is more homework to be done and then it’s bedtime already. This leaves them very little time to play and to spend time with family and friends and this can be detrimental to their learning experience.
It can be so easy to focus only on academics but children need many other skills to prepare them for what lies ahead and this is why after-school sports activities are incredibly important for your child’s growth. Enrolling them in a basketball camp, for example, is the perfect way to introduce them to a competitive sport where they get to play with like-minded kids and they become a lot more sociable as well. If you’re not sure as a parent if after-school sports activities are the right choice for your child then maybe the following benefits of signing your kids up for one might convince you otherwise.
- It encourages teamwork – Every child needs to learn that it would be almost impossible to get through this life without the help of others and so it is essential that they learn about teamwork, cooperating and trying to reach the final goal. Many children nowadays are just left to their own devices playing video games and losing out on all the camaraderie that comes with playing sports. Many kids go on to make friends for life when they join after-school sports activities.
- They learn healthy habits – Taking part in after-school sports is about playing games and lots of running around but it’s also about teaching the kids about good nutrition and what they should and shouldn’t be putting into their bodies. They must learn from a young age so that they develop sound eating habits as they get older. Sport will also help your kids to get a better night’s sleep and you will find that they will be a lot healthier and a lot happier.
- Creating the leaders of tomorrow – When taking part in after-school sports in Australia, many skills are taught, one of them is leadership. Basketball for example is not a single person sport and so they will learn that their teammates will look to them if they make any mistakes and this encourages your kid to be responsible for their actions and for their behaviours. This is the reality of life and so these essential life skills will prove to be invaluable as they enter university and then go out into the workforce.
After-school sports activities are essential for any growing kid and children nowadays are under a lot of pressure in school to get the best test results. It is important that they are provided with some kind of outlet that allows them to blow off some steam and to bring some much-needed joy into their lives.
