Does your child love to compete against others? Would they rather be involved in music or robotics or art? If they fall into any of these categories, it’s still important to encourage them to participate in sports.
God has given us all different abilities. Many times, it’s just a matter of trying different things to see what they can do. The old saying, “you never know until you try” holds true in athletics. Let your child try different sports so they can discover what abilities God has given them. Maybe they succeed, maybe they fail but at least they know they tried. Playing on a team, even if you are just trying it out, teaches so many life lessons. Here are three benefits of letting your child try a sport.
1. Playing Well with Others
The first benefit is your student will learn how to play well with others. Being on a team helps students learn to get along with others in a face paced, competitive environment. You may need to depend on looking out for others, encouraging others, helping the opposing player up when they are knocked down, congratulating an opponent on a good play are all examples of what we teach our athletes here at Bloomfield Christian.
2. Learn How to Succeed and Fail
The second benefit is they will learn how to fail and succeed, winning with humility and losing with grace. Life is full of victories and defeats. Sports helps students prepare for life’s ups and downs. Did they get a bad grade on a test or a minor part in the play they tried out for? These repeated experiences with sports will teach them how to have the right perspective when they face other disappointments and successes.
3. Learn about Themselves
The third benefit is they will learn about themselves and what their role is in a team setting. We have all been on a team in our work setting. Understanding good communication, interdependence, and the importance of encouragement can all be developed within an athletic setting. Doing something new can be uncomfortable, maybe even scary. Trying a new sport could possibly give them a new self-confidence. It may bring out a talent they never knew existed or they may realize it’s not for them. Having a firm understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, will give them the needed confidence as they encounter new experiences. They will have the satisfaction knowing they have stepped out of their box to do something new.
Being part of a team, whether you are the best player, a supporting player, the one who encourages your teammates, or a good teammate to have on the team, can help students understand who they are and what they can do. Here at Bloomfield Christian, we teach our athletes to do their best, have fun, display good sportsmanship and in the end, honor and glorify Christ in all they do and say