Team sports are a hallmark of many a childhood and are also a key weekend leisure activity in participating or cheering from the sidelines. But is it essential for your child to participate in a team sport? What will they miss out on if they don’t join in and can they get the same benefits through another activity? As parents and educators, we offer our thoughts and experiences that might be helpful.
What are the benefits of team sports for kids?
In Australia, we love our team sports with footy, netball, soccer, and basketball getting the lion’s share. Being ball sports, they offer many benefits from skill acquisition to personal development. But regardless of whether a ball is involved or not, team sports can be fun and beneficial.
Team sports help with both child development and life skills such as:
- Physical fitness
- Co-ordination
- Resilience, persistence & grit
- Decision making
- Empathy
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Co-operation
- Leadership
- Strategy execution
- Cognitive skills
Sports Science Professor Rochelle Eime was recently quoted saying, “With team sport for kids, they learn a whole range of skills that you don’t get in many other settings. Learning teamwork, learning to win or to drive to achieve, learning about leadership, about dedication or about commitment.” These are life skills that we often carry through to adulthood.
Belonging to a team
We all want our kids to find an activity they enjoy and can participate in with kids who share their interests. This is where friendships form with a shared experience. That experience includes training together towards a shared goal and sharing the wins and losses that come from team competitions. It’s where a team sport excels by providing a sense of belonging, connectedness, friendship and confidence for your child.
Being a part of a team also teaches accountability as children learn what it means to commit to their friends by putting in the work, showing up and doing their best. As they advance to higher levels of their team sport, it may also require building skills in time management, self-discipline and structure as they focus on sport, school and family life.
My child isn’t a team player
Not all children enjoy team sports and that’s okay. It may be that they’re overwhelmed, feel self-conscious, find all the different personalities difficult to navigate or prefer the full control that comes from a solo sport.
Similar benefits are certainly present with solo sports like swimming, martial arts, track and field, circus or gymnastics where they have individual goals whilst experiencing the benefits in parallel with other kids. In some ways, these individual sports require even more self-discipline as their results depend solely on them. Encouragement and celebration are still shared through coaches and fellow competitors along with the life skills to take into adulthood.
What we do know, as Professor Eime notes, “If kids are involved in sport when they’re younger, they’re more likely to be physically active when they’re older. That can have a whole range of implications in terms of obesity and a range of chronic diseases.”
My child can’t decide on a team
Some kids find a team sport and a group of kids they enjoy throughout the competition seasons of their sport. However, for others, it can be a case of mixing it up. Both scenarios are fine as long as it’s a positive experience so we suggest being open to trying different team sports and teams as their development, goals, friendships and focus may change. As Covid restrictions eased many children didn’t head back to their team sports and that might prompt a change or reassessment of how the benefits found in team sports can be nurtured in other programs or activities.
My child doesn’t enjoy competition
Team sports are predominantly built around a competitive element, which can make it difficult for some children to participate where this isn’t something they enjoy. As Professor Eime notes, “We need more sports to think about having other opportunities for kids who don’t necessarily have the skills or maybe want a non-competitive focus model to be able to come and get those skills and play games but maybe not in the traditional competitive club.”
That is where a program like our Academe Time Sports Time can be the right fit. Experiencing a team atmosphere, learning skills and having some class-based competitive play but without fixtures, ladders, trophies and weekend commitments.
Whilst school-based sports offer physical learning, it’s worth looking at extra-curricular activities that nurture not only the physical but also mental health, emotional development and friendships that come from team sports. They may find that a team sport is something they carry through their childhood or they may choose solo endeavours where they can focus and thrive. It’s all about the opportunities to try and learn more about themselves with support and guidance every step of the way.
Find out what programs we offer at your child’s school here.
