Doing sports is not only a matter of health. It can also be an effective tool in the education of children, since, through exercise, we promote values and skills in a healthy and fun way. Let’s learn about the importance of sports in education.
Practicing sports from an early age serves not only to activate the brain functions that are essential for their general cognitive development. It also teaches them a number of skills that will be of great help to them throughout their lives.
Recreational nature of the sport
The playful essence of the sport makes it a very attractive and motivating activity for children and youngsters. This, added to a relaxed atmosphere, leads to attitudes of effort, self-esteem, self-improvement, perseverance and a greater predisposition to learning.
Through sport, contexts of respect for the rest of the group, acceptance of mistakes, compliance with rules, etc., are created.
In addition, although there is a great individualization of sports practice, there is a great interaction with other people that allows us to develop social skills that are very useful in life in society. These relationships are due, to a large extent, to the potential for cooperation that comes with the practice of sports.
Universal language
Thanks to body language and movement, it is considered a universal phenomenon. This makes it a privileged activity for the creation of communicative spaces and the relationship between people from different backgrounds.
Games, dance and regulated sports are present in all corners of the world and thus become one of the elements that remind us that we are very much the same.
Benefits of sport
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The practice of any sport improves and reinforces some psychological variables such as self-confidence and allows children to have a clear idea of what effort, solidarity and respect for social rules mean.
According to the Fundación Española del Corazón, pathologies such as obesity, derived from a sedentary lifestyle or poor nutritional habits, are currently on the rise. To avoid this, sport is essential to achieve a balanced development and avoid diseases such as hypertension or type II diabetes.
Through physical education, children and adolescents express their spontaneity and creativity and foster values such as respect for themselves and others.
Finally, one of the indisputable benefits of sport in education is its contribution to the improvement of basic motor skills. It promotes the growth of muscles and bones, and helps to achieve good posture, walk in a correct way and provides greater flexibility.
In addition to being a very beneficial physical and mental activity, sports are also a way to develop values, encourage socialization and improve emotional well-being. Healthy, fun and respectful.
Raúl García
Secondary School Physical Education Teacher