It’s widely known that engaging in sports from a young age can have drastic
life-long physical benefits. A study from the National Library of Medicine states “sport
provides a medium for physical activity, developing friendships, and learning
developmental skills across all domains.” But competitive sports in particular can set
your child up to have a secure, ambitious mindset throughout their life; the
developmental benefits can translate into lifelong mental well-being positives.
This is primarily as competitive sports can encourage your child to set goals,
and steadily move towards them. Your child will strive for improvement and build
their resilience as they build their physical skills.
In order to do this, they must collaborate and work closely with a team and a
coach. This enhances their social skills, which will extend into their school and home
life too. Listening to, and taking direction from, an adult deepens their respect for
others, allowing them to engage with teachers and family members more easily. It’s
these social situations in which they build team work, empathy and stress
management skills, which are vital if your child achieves a goal of theirs or not –
taking success and failure gracefully can strengthen emotional relationships.
However, its important that the focus from parents and coaches is on your
child’s efforts and improvements, not on how much they win. Otherwise, you risk
your child growing up with unhealthy expectations for themselves, which can be
damaging to their mental health. John Tauer, a professor of psychology in Minnesota,
USA, said “unfortunately, the frequent win-at-all costs mentality associated with
many competitive endeavours can undermine children’s motivation and lead them to
avoid or even disengage from activities they may otherwise enjoy.”
All this combines to give your child a brilliant positive mindset. Seeing
challenges as opportunities can make your son or daughter stand out throughout
their life. So, if you’re ready to bring your child into the world of gymnastics, hit the
link below to book a trial shift with us!
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