Introduction

Parents and schools spend an unearthly amount of resources every year on youth athletics in the United States. What are the benefits of athletics for children? Could parents be concerned that their kids might be injured? Adults should consider some of the pros and cons of athletics and how it will benefit the young life of every kid in America. Parents should allow their children to play athletics at a young age to further their child’s physical health, mental health, and social health both now and in the future. 

Physical Health

Athletics can further the physical health of children of every walk of life, sick or healthy, rich or poor, disabled or not disabled. Athletics encourage children to get fresh air and exercise. Exercise is important for the development of a child so that they may live better and even longer. “Healthy lifestyle choices including eating right and physical exercise may lower the risk of strokes, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other harmful diseases” (“15 Health Benefits of Sports”). This means that participation in athletics could help children in America improve the quality of their lives and even lengthen their lives.

In addition, muscle strength is very important for physical health, and athletics help children to enjoy building their muscles in a group setting with their peers. Muscle-strengthening increases stability, muscle mass, and the burning of calories. “Weight management might be controlled and watched while doing workouts throughout the activity” (Malm). Athletics could not only help increase the strength of children in America, but it could also help lower the obesity rate as they burn more calories.

 In contrast to the aspect of physical health, injuries may occur during practice or other athletic contests. Some people may say that children should not participate in athletic contests because they may get hurt. However, using the correct form, strengthening muscles, and receiving proper supervision during exercise minimizes their risk of getting hurt. Even if a child gets hurt, the health benefits of exercise in athletics outweigh the negatives of injuries. 

Mental Health

Secondly, athletics further the mental health of children by challenging their minds and helping kids grow in their mental state. Christer Malm says, 

“Training and exercise also lessen anxiety in people who are diagnosed with an anxiety- or stress-related disease, improve vocabulary learning, memory, and creative thinking” (Malm) 

Athletic practices and events put pressure on children that can help them grow stronger mentally. Exercise increases dopamine in the brain which helps children to feel better and decrease depression (“How Sports Can Help Reduce Stress and Ease Depression”). Depression is one of the mental pressures that are in many kids in all walks of life. Spending time exercising with others on a team improves mood, reduces stress and anger, makes kids feel more relaxed, improves their mental state, and boosts confidence in themselves (“How Sports Can Help Reduce Stress and Ease Depression”). Athletics can help the mental health of children by helping them build powerful, strong minds that will help them become extraordinary people as they grow up. 

Social Health

Thirdly, athletics further the mental health of children by providing social interaction between children and other children, and between children and coaches and other adults. Healthy social interaction is a skill that only comes with learning. Social interactions begin early. As children grow, social interactions help kids to interact with friends and members of the family. Having a healthy social life will increase a child’s confidence in themselves. Another benefit to a healthy social life is that it could lower the risk of stress that causes the brain to not function efficiently (How Sports Can Help Reduce Stress and Ease Depression). Other benefits of social interaction include better in-person connections and knowing who is their friend and who is not. These social interactions during practice and sporting events could very well influence kids to be well-rounded people for both themselves and their loved ones.

Another point is that, social health also improves communication and how it will benefit kids. Communication may be difficult at first, but when practiced, it could improve when parents involve their kids in athletics. They will learn to build a voice for themselves and others. On the positive side to communication comes social interactions with friends and family. With a transparent understanding of communication, one’s kid will build trust with other kids (Rosario). This will help kids to have a smaller chance of getting into problems. They will know what's clear and unclear in their expectations. Clear communication will build better relationships, increase engagement, improve productivity, and it will promote team building in a forward way for their kid’s future life (Rosario). Communication starts from the parents to the kids and from the kids to their friends and later in life to their kids. The way parents communicate to their kids is the way their kids will communicate to their kids whether that be good or bad. Whatever kids learn from their parents is like a mirror. Whatever is said will come back double the size from when it was said.

Conclusion

In conclusion, parents should allow their children to play athletics at a young age to further their physical health, mental state, and social health both now and in the future. For kids to experience the joys of living a healthy life they have created for themselves with their parent’s help, they can live that life to the fullest extent through participation in youth athletics. There would be nothing holding them back from the wonderful, pleasant, bright futures ahead of them. Children can learn so much from athletics. It is all up to the person to take and hold onto the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and to know what that means in their own lives as well. So, parents should be the ones to start that path to a healthy lifestyle for their children by investing the time and resources that it takes to get them involved in athletics.