For millions of children and teens, end-of-the-school year means signing up for a summer sport or two. While summer sports may make your schedule busier with transporting kids to and from events and limiting your vacation time, there are many health benefits to being involved in a summer sport.
Healthy Weight and Physically Fit
Many kids are content to “do their own thing” during summer break, but often that leads to a sedentary lifestyle of sitting in AC and watching TV or playing video games. Downtime is necessary for every child, but it’s important to balance it out with the right amount of physical activity and summer sports can help.
According to Stanford Children’s Health, children and teens who are more active in sporting activities are more likely to have a healthy weight and are more healthy overall. Children and teens who stay active year-round are more likely to stick to a healthy and active lifestyle as they get older.
Improve Motor Skills
Many people think of motor skills as something in early development, such as infants or toddlers, but your child continues to fine-tune their motor skills as they age. Summer sports, such as softball, baseball, and soccer, can help your child improve their coordination and other motor skills.
Creates a Routine
Creating a routine can often be a lot of work, but once you have one you probably notice how smoothly your household runs. Summer sports can help your kids maintain a routine throughout the summer, which can help reduce stress, promote adequate sleep, and help prepare for a new school year (including an easier transition to the school year).
Boosting Confidence
Nearly everyone has low confidence at some point in their life, but over time it can affect your mental and physical health. If your child needs a boost of confidence, a summer sport may be an ideal option. Many summer sports organizations focus on participation, healthy competition, and being good team members, which can all play an important role in boosting your child’s confidence.
A Socializing Opportunity
During summer break, many kids lose touch with their classmates and friends due to busy schedules. Summer sports can help your child stay in touch with some friends and encourage them to make new friends. Socializing, and learning new social skills, is not just something to focus on during the school year but also during the “off-season” of summer.
A Few Safety Tips For Parents
As a parent, you want your child to stay busy, happy, and be healthy. While signing them up for a summer sport can benefit their mental and physical health in numerous ways, it’s always important to make sure the sport is safe and is a good fit for your child.
The Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) lawyers at https://www.dsslaw.com/new-york/brain-injury-lawyer/ remind us that you should always make sure that your child has access to safe sports gear, such as helmets when playing a summer sport. Always inspect sports equipment and make sure it fits your child properly.
If you have time, getting involved by volunteering or even becoming a youth coach can help you keep an eye on your child’s health and safety. Not only should you familiarize yourself with signs of heat illness and exhaustion, but you also need to know how to identify a head injury like a concussion and other first aid essentials.