Ethics article reading
Article number 1
 Friendship
 Learning how to lose
 Respect for authority
 Developing patience
 Developing self -esteem
 Body composition and weight
 Healthy heart
 Strengthening the bones
 Building a healthy adult
When children are engaged in activities which align with their
particular interests, their psychosocial development is enhanced. They
not only learn a variety of useful skills.
Here, however, we will focus on those important activities which
impact children’s health and body development – participation in
sports.
According to the latest Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance in the United
States (2016), 14% of children reported not having any kind of
physical activity at least once a week prior to taking part in the survey,
while 27% of the children reported having been physically active every
day of the week for at least 60 minutes per day. Also, 14% of the
children were found to be obese, while 16% were overweight.
Psychosocial development through sports
1. Companionship and friendship
Being on a sports team provides children with a new social circle
outside of school, an opportunity for making new friendships, some of
which may last a lifetime as putting yourself in second place for the
benefit of the whole team. All of this gives children a new sense of
togetherness and belonging.
2. Learning how to lose
Learning to accept and cope with defeat is an important lesson in life.
By learning to control and understand their emotions after losing,
children can build resilience that can aid them in life. After all, life
brings many obstacles and learning to be dignified in defeat and to
stand up when you’re down are lessons sports can teach us early on.
3. Learning discipline and respect for authority
Following the rules requires discipline and respect for the decisions
made by more experienced and skilled others. Obeying rules and
orders is the basis for good interaction and cooperation in any sport,
and being disciplined in training sessions is a necessary part of
succeeding
4. Developing persistence, dedication, and patience
Through competition, children can develop the motivation to improve
and avoid defeat. By working hard at every practice and staying
focused on their goal, children build persistence and learn the
importance of patience, and in the end, realize that hard work pays off.
This translates to life in general – setting out to accomplish something
requires dedication and persistence over a long period of time. There
is some evidence that long-term commitment to sports has a positive
impact on children’s behavior in the classroom [2]. They tend to apply
the same principles of dedication, persistence, and patience they learn
through sports to the school environment. Everything mentioned
above, such as interactions with peers, dedication to training, and
practicing teamwork translates into the classroom. In this sense,
sports are able to advance the educational aspirations of children and
create pathways to educational success [3].
5. Developing self-esteem
Participation in sports can be beneficial for children’s self-esteem and
confidence even though they might not necessarily be good at it.
Words of praise from coaches for successfully finishing a workout or
winning a game, high-fives from teammates after a great team action,
or just having something of their own that helps them build their own
identity (“I’m a tennis player”) – are all ways of building trust in their
own abilities and developing a feeling of confidence. On the other
hand, it is important for children to focus on how much they enjoy
playing a particular sport, and not whether they’ll win or lose a game.
If they become overly competitive and their self-esteem only depends
on winning, they risk losing self-confidence. Because of this, parents
have an important role in encouraging children to play sports for fun
and enjoyment, and not necessarily for winning every single game.
After all, when are you going to have fun if not during your childhood?
Of course, physical activity also benefits the body and overall health,
so it’s not surprising that one study found that girls who played sports
reported greater acceptance of their body image [4].
6. Sports as a mood-enhancer
Sports are generally a positive emotional experience, and being
physically active and engaging in sports practices leaves children
feeling better afterward. This mood-enhancement effect of sports is
not only short-term. Doing something they love and enjoy regularly will
provide children with more energy and a lasting feeling of wellbeing.
Participating in sports a couple of days a week leads to happier
children each day of the week. There’s even research that suggests
that people who are not active are more depressed than those who
maintain an exercise regimen [5]. Sports can not only be a protective
factor for certain clinical mental health disorders, such as depression,
but also guard against a range of risky behaviors prevalent in
adolescence, such as the use of tobacco or illegal substances [4]
Health benefits
7. Body composition and weight
Research has shown that children who engage in more vigorous
physical activity have more muscle and less body fat. If we bear in
mind that by having more lean mass, the organism burns more
calories, it’s not surprising that participating in a physical activity and
sports tends to reduce the risk of being overweight [4].
8. Building a healthy heart
Lowering body fat by playing sports or engaging in a regular physical
activity also means taking care of the heart, and lowering the risk of
cardiovascular disease. One study showed that high school students
who took up a sport outside of school had significantly better
cardiovascular fitness than children who participated solely in PE [4,
6]. On the other hand, it’s important to bear in mind that following good
eating habits is also crucial for maintaining a healthy heart and a fit
body.
9. Strengthening the bones
Playing sports can have a positive impact on bone health as well.
Engaging in a vigorous physical activity over a sustained period of
time can improve bone mineral density, especially among girls [4, 6].
10.
Building a healthy adult
Finally, physically active children usually grow up to be physically
active adults. We have seen that sports represent an excellent way of
preventing several chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases,
obesity, osteoporosis, etc., so getting involved in sports in childhood is
a key element in developing and maintaining good health and
promoting longevity..
The role of the parent…
– If you’re having trouble encouraging your children to take up sports,
you should set an example by doing some workouts at home, or
becoming more physically active in some other way. Also, try raising
their interest by exploring and playing some sport together, such as
tennis or baseball, or simply throwing a frisbee around.
– Try not to push your children towards a sport you like, but they don’t
show a particular interest in.
– If your children don’t want you to attend their match, try to talk to
them and see why. They might be afraid of not performing well, or
they lack self-confidence, so try to be supportive.
– Make sure your children don’t neglect other commitments (e.g.
schoolwork). It is possible for your children to become too invested in
a sport or some other hobby. If you are not sure how many
extracurricular activities they should take up, we have an article that
can be helpful.