It’s hard to know what to expect from life when you’re young. When you’re a kid, you don’t understand what it takes to succeed as an adult. Therefore, it is our responsibility as parents to guide our children through this phase in their lives.
One way to accomplish this is by encouraging them to take part in sports activities. After all, let’s face it. What is life without play? A child’s play is an essential part of their development, whether it consists of climbing trees, running, sledding, or practicing sports.
But although the play is entertaining for a child and keeps them busy, are there actual benefits of playing soccer for kids? Let’s finally answer the question once and for all: Why should kids play soccer? Prepare to have your mind blown because, in this post, we’re bringing you 4 incredible benefits for kids who play soccer! Let’s dive right in.
Benefits of Playing Soccer
The act of playing is a natural part of human development from a very early age. And while we engage in sports to entertain ourselves, in reality, the impact is felt much greater on our physical, mental, social, and emotional abilities. Aiding them greatly contributes to our overall development as stronger individuals.
Childhood is a time of fast development and growth. As kids, our brains are just forming neural connections and learning about ourselves and the world. Additionally, our bodies are developing to support themselves. As kids start to play soccer regularly, they may feel the top benefit on their physical self while other benefits impact the mental, emotional and social aspects of a child’s personality. Let’s discuss each one.
1. Physical Benefits of Playing Soccer
Physical development begins at an early age with sports activities such as cricket and soccer. Children can develop motor control and fine motor skills (hand and finger movements, along with eye coordination) through playing with blocks, scribbling with crayons, and making abstract shapes.
As they grow, sports and play become more physical and children start to better understand their bodies and capabilities. As time passes, children learn to run around, jump, climb trees, and play similar games to improve their muscle control.
Besides drawing, painting, and writing, older kids also practice fine motor skills through hobbies such as playing piano, dancing, singing, and more. Play is also essential to develop muscle tone, strength, and control over our movements,
Whether it’s fine motor movements like holding a paintbrush or bigger activities like playing sports that involve the full functions of the body, sports become essential to our kids’ development.
2. Cognitive & Mental Benefits of Playing Soccer
It is important to understand language, how parts fit together, and how to solve problems in order to solve puzzles and word searches. Playing simple games like stacking blocks and matching objects with their shapes improves perception, knowledge of colors, and objects, spatial orientation, and hand-eye coordination.
However, when kids start to involve themselves in proper physical sports like soccer, their mental and cognitive skills take a significant leap. That’s because soccer requires more use of cognitive abilities and helps the child’s body to grow stronger, and quicker, and improves body coordination.
The strategy involved in soccer also improves a kid’s decision-making abilities, encouraging faster decision-making and improving leadership abilities through competitive matches that greatly help their development in the future.
Furthermore, playing soccer has a direct relation with children performing better in subjects that use up more brain power such as maths. This is due to greater blood circulation in the brain due to physical exertion.
3. Better Emotional Intelligence
Soccer helps children develop a sense of self and learn more about themselves. Through soccer, children also develop empathy and compassion since they interact with their peers more.
Furthermore, they learn the value of teamwork and cooperation which helps them have better relationships with other people later on in life. Kids can also learn the value of Fairplay and are less likely to cheat in their studies due to stronger principles forged in their formative years.
Did you know? Games like Basketball, football, and baseball teach children how to handle wins and losses as a team. Children can deal with their emotions and impulses better while also gaining a better sense of their world.
4. Social Benefits of Playing Soccer
Socializing with other children is a huge part of playing soccer and one of the most beneficial. Interacting with others, expressing ideas and opinions, understanding teamwork, controlling their behavior, and acting socially acceptable are all skills children learn while playing together.
In addition, they learn how to analyze situations carefully and make wiser decisions. For example, a child will have to evaluate the merits of each pass while playing soccer to impact the overall results of the game.
When children are young and impressionable, playing soccer has many benefits for them. In addition to helping them develop, it is essential for their well-being.
Conclusion
Even though you realize the importance of why kids should play soccer, it can be daunting to understand which steps to take. In the next blog, we’ll guide you on how to get your kid interested in soccer.
Through this blog post, we’re also making it easier for your kid to join the leading soccer training for kids in Sydney. At Super Best Friends, we’re helping children realize their potential by teaching them soccer skills at a young age. We also take this opportunity to teach character development, positivity, teamwork, healthy socializing, and Fairplay – values everyone must have to grow up into great individuals.
We will provide your child with the ideal platform to become a future soccer star and cultivate a winning mindset in an exciting, yet friendly environment. As well as improving their mind-body coordination, we help instill a winning mindset in them.
You can sign up here or directly call us at 0452 384 155 (Callers get a special discount!)
So what are you waiting for? Your child deserves the chance to realize their dreams! Provide them with an environment that encourages learning, healthy interactions, character development, and a mindset that helps them succeed in every aspect of life. See you in the next read! Bye bye 🙂