If you’d like to spend time with your family, but you’re concerned about the number of hours you’re committing to watching television or otherwise staring at screens, then taking up a sport might seem the logical thing to do.
Enjoying a sport as a family can provide many benefits (on top of the enjoyment itself). Some of those benefits are obvious, while others are more subtle. Take it seriously, and you could invest in some equipment – including a replica shirt of a favourite football player. But you don’t have to spend any money, in most cases, to get started.
So, what are the benefits?
Physical health
It’s not a secret that moving around more is good for you. It’ll improve your skeletal muscles, as well as your heart and lungs. It’ll toughen up your bones, making you more resistant to fractures, and it’ll drive down your risk of obesity.
If you’re worrying about how you can get some physical exercise into your day, then spending time with the family might help you to do it. The idea of lifting weights, or jogging around in circles, alone, might not appeal to everyone!
Mental and Emotional Well-being
Like any form of exercise, sports activity can help to drive down stress, anxiety and depression. However, since this is a group exercise, the effect is even more profound. You’ll also benefit from your body releasing feel-good chemicals, called endorphins. It’ll also drive neurogenesis (the creation of brain cells), which will actually make your brain get bigger!
Social Skills and Teamwork
Children can pick up on all kinds of social skills when they’re playing team sports. They’ll learn to communicate with one another. They’ll learn to share in the thrill of a victory they’ve built for themselves, and pick one another up after a defeat. In many cases, defeat can build character in a way that winning cannot – provided that the defeat was fair.
In a family environment, the social benefits are especially valuable. Do it right, and everyone will get the sense that they belong, and that you’re all part of the same group. If much of your downtime is spent with everyone in the house doing a different thing in isolation, then a sport might be the thing to bring everyone together.
Academic and Life Skills
Children who participate in sports often acquire soft skills that they’re able to apply later to their education and career. We’ve already mentioned communication and teamwork, but other things, like discipline, perseverance, and the importance of regular practice, are all best learned early in life!
