What My Child May Gain from Sport

by Department of Sport and Recreation / Western Australia Physical benefits:

• Improve fitness, strength, flexibility and coordination
• Improve general health and helps weight management
• Develop a wide range of motor skills
• Establish healthy behaviors that young people will carry throughout their lives

Social benefits:

• Develop communication and interpersonal skills
• Develop leadership and cooperation skills
• Create lasting friendships
• Increase interest in accepting responsibility
• How to deal with winning and losing
• Provide a vehicle for responsible risk taking

Personal benefits:

• Enjoyment factor - a biggy!
• Improve self-esteem and confidence
• Improve ability to concentrate: facilitating better performance at school
• Learn self-discipline, commitment and responsibility
• Learn organizational skills and how to share
• Learn how to deal with pressures and stress
• Encourage health related behaviors i.e. better eating habits, less likely to smoke

What's in it for Parents? It not just your kids who will benefit from playing sport

• You get to be a bigger part of their lives by sharing more of their experiences
• Appreciate that your children are having fun, being active and healthy
• Healthy children means a reduction in medical costs
• You know where your children are, that they are being supervised and having fun
• Research has shown that children who are involved in sport tend to stay in school longer and get better grades
• Assist in developing behaviors that will encourage life long health and well being.

Wednesday, 01 January 2003