Best 4 Sports for Kids to Play

Encouraging your child to get involved in sports gives them the opportunity to learn new skills and make new friends. Having something that they are good at will really help to build their self-esteem as they grow up, and the skills that they learn playing sports will never leave them – they will always be able to leverage them to learn new sports.

Not only this, but if your child genuinely enjoys the sport that they are playing then this will naturally mean that they exercise more. This will help to improve their physical and mental health. Exercising is also thought to improve brain function, which means that kids who exercise may even do better in school.

Almost any sport will provide your child with benefits. Some of the most beneficial sports are listed below.

Football

One of the biggest things that football has going for it is that it is a sport that is all about teamwork. This means that kids who play football develop additional social skills as they learn to communicate with their teammates. They will also benefit from the sense of connection that they have from being part of a team. 

Being part of a community is a powerful driver for most people, and it can lift us up and help us to feel more empowered in other parts of our lives, on and off the pitch.

Archery

Despite how it looks, archery is actually a very safe sport for children to learn and it offers a lot of benefits. 

To become skilled at archery takes a lot of practice, and therefore discipline and self-motivation. The ability to stick at something and the motivation to keep learning even when you aren’t sure that you’re doing very well is highly valuable, and something that will stand children in good stead as they get older.

It’s for this reason that top boarding schools frequently offer archery as one of their co-curricular activities.

Swimming

Learning to swim at a young age is a good idea as it instills confidence in the water as soon as possible, which opens up the possibility of a lot of different water-based sports. It also means that your child will be able to confidently take part in any water-based activities that their peers are part of, which gives them extra opportunities for socialising.

It’s also thought that swimming helps to promote brain and emotional development, as it stimulates the senses. 

Finally, swimming is a great way to exercise as it supports the body at the same time. This makes it a good sport for anyone who has trouble with their joints.

Cycling

Cycling is wonderful for building up the muscles in the legs, improving balance and coordination and is really good for heart and lung health because it is a good form of cardiovascular exercise.

Not only this, but cycling can give your child a sense of independence as it allows them to transport themselves, and it gives them additional opportunities to socialise with friends.