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Sports Song | Do You Like Sports? | Fun Kids English

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The COVID 19 pandemic has affected several aspects of childhood - screen time has replaced physical activity and staying at home has affected kids' social skills. Team sports can provide an effective solution to these problems. While playing a sport is a great way to stay in shape, its benefits are not limited to physical health alone. Sports are an excellent way to develop soft skills and foster emotional and mental growth. Here are a few ways team sports facilitate child development-

1. Self-esteem and Confidence

Team sports provide a great setting for developing self esteem. When kids actively contribute to team results and see tangible outcomes of their hard work, they feel a sense of pride in not only their team's, but also their own accomplishments. Moreover, receiving recognition and praise from a coach or teammate for a job well done goes a long way in boosting self-esteem and confidence.

2. Critical Thinking Skills

Strong critical thinking skills help us make good decisions and solve problems; the two things that life demands from us at every stage . Sports players need to be quick and calculative and make effective decisions in high pressure situations. The decision to pass to a teammate or shoot a basket needs to be made in a split second. Each game offers different situations which require different tactics, strengths and weaknesses to be analyzed and used accordingly. The critical thinking skills developed while responding to these situations help children both on and off the field.

3. Discipline

"We don't have to be smarter than the rest. We have to be more disciplined than the rest." These words by Warren Buffet are relevant outside of investing. Discipline is a prerequisite for growth. Team sports train kids to be disciplined both physically and mentally. Long hours of practice and sometimes a controlled diet build self-restraint and empower their minds to deal with any situation. Good discipline is a pathway to achieving goals and reaching one's full potential.

4. Accountability

Assuming responsibility for something gone wrong doesn't come easy. Yet, it's important to take accountability to reduce conflict and improve performance. Working with team members teaches children to step up and take accountability for their mistakes and when needed, even take one for the team. Being able to accept our faults and learn from them is a fundamental step towards happiness and success.

5. Teamwork

"Teamwork makes the dream work." Many situations need us to collaborate with others and work towards a common goal, be it at home, at school, or at the workplace. Playing team sports teaches children the importance of teamwork at an early age as they interact with teammates and work together towards achieving a common objective. It also prepares them to be a responsible and dependable member of the team while learning to recognize and respect the strengths and weaknesses of their peers.

6. Communication

Being able to communicate effectively is perhaps the most important of all life skills. Clear communication can help avoid misunderstandings and develop strong relationships. Playing team sports enables children to develop excellent communication skills, which includes communicating strategies verbally as well as non - verbally and motivating one another on and off the field. And since communication is a two way street, it also teaches them to be a good listener and take feedback positively.

7. Leadership

While team sports teach us a lot about working in a team, they provide us with equally valuable lessons about leading one. A good leader is associated with strong communication skills and decision making abilities, a sense of self discipline and the capability to deal well with success and failure - attributes inculcated by partaking in team sports. Small steps such as leading warm ups or captaining a team encourage players to step up and lead from the forefront, preparing them for bigger things in the future.

8. Sportsmanship
"It is your response to winning and losing that makes you a loser or a winner."
Being a good sport is an incredibly important display of character. While winning feels great, losing sometimes is inevitable. Team sports teach children the crucial lessons of winning humbly and losing gracefully. Each loss imparts a learning experience that teaches them something new to carry into the future.

9. Managing Emotions

Exercise is a powerful way to boost feelings of happiness and relaxation. Physical activity stimulates chemicals in the brain that help people feel happier and more relaxed. Moreover, the emotional joy that kids experience while engaging with their friends playing a game they love and occasionally experiencing the highs of winning is sure to have them beaming from ear to ear! Being physically active also allows kids to channel their feelings of stress, frustration and anger into something productive.

10. Posture and Health

Physical exercise is essential for everybody - kids as well as adults. Playing team sports provide an appealing and entertaining way for kids to exercise. Regular exercise helps kids become stronger and healthier, reducing the risk of diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure that can continue to affect them well into adulthood. Furthermore, studies have shown that physically active children are more likely to be active, and in turn, healthier adults.

11. Academic performance

Playing a sport can positively contribute to emotional and psychological development. Participating in team sports teaches children valuable skills such as problem solving and time management and imbues vital qualities such as discipline and patience. Additionally, playing sports leads to improved memory and concentration and enhanced creativity. These qualities and skills learnt on the field can yield appreciable academic results when carried to the classroom.

Team sports effortlessly teach children life lessons like positively approaching setbacks, and persevering relentlessly to attain goals. However, in addition to all these benefits, perhaps the most important one is the sheer joy they provide kids everyday!

Sports are more than just an extracurricular activity, and the values they imbibe in your kids will carry them way beyond the pitch!

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11 Reasons Your Child Should Play Team Sports

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While playing a sport is a great way to stay in shape, it is also an excellent way to develop soft skills and foster emotional and mental growth. Here are a few ways team sports facilitate child development.

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Do you like riding a bike? Watch this video to find out about Freia - she's a BMX world champion!

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What is Sports?

Sports is a recreation, a pastime and a physical exercise that is normally performed outdoors and should be practised by everyone, at every age, without the distinction of condition or ability. The practice of sport improves both social and physical skills that specially benefits people with some type of disability, as it improves coordination, posture, spatial orientation, strength, stamina, flexibility and muscle tone, as well as improvement in learning skills and self-esteem.

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Sports Injuries Sports Injuries

With sports camps and more structured activities, kids today are increasingly likely to play their chosen sport year-round. But more time on the field brings a greater risk of experiencing sports-related injuries, including ACL and meniscus injuries in the knee, or injuries to the labrum or UCL in the shoulder and elbow.

Pediatric sports medicine expert R. Jay Lee, M.D. provides these 10 injury prevention tips to help keep your young athlete on the field rather than on the sidelines:

1. Talk with your young athlete.

Make sure your young athlete understands that he or she should talk with you and seek help if experiencing pain or something that just doesn't feel right. "In my practice, I always promote participating in pain-free sports and activities," says Dr. Lee. "But some kids are tough and just push through pain, which can lead to a more serious condition that could have been prevented with early intervention."

2. Get a preseason physical.

A preseason or back-to-school physical is a great way to determine if your young athlete is fit to play. "Sports physicals help assess any areas of concern for athletes before they start an activity, and in turn keeps them from further injuring themselves during play if a condition is present and needs to be treated," says Dr. Lee.

3. Encourage cross-training and a variety of sports.

"I see kids today who play on two baseball or lacrosse teams on the same day or throughout the week and year. But it's important for athletes to change the sports or activities they are doing so they are not continuously putting stress on the same muscles and joints," warns Dr. Lee. Parents should consider limiting the number of teams their athlete is on at any given time and changing up the routine regularly so that the same muscles are not continuously overused.

4. Stress the importance of warming up.

Stretching is an important prevention technique that should become a habit for all athletes before starting an activity or sport. Dr. Lee suggests a mix of both static and dynamic stretching during warmups to help loosen the muscles and prepare them for play. Toe touches and stretches, where you hold the position for a certain amount of time, are considered static, while jumping jacks and stretches, where the body continues to move during stretching, are considered dynamic.

5. Make sure they rest.

Athletes of all ages need to rest between practices, games and events. A lack of sleep and muscle fatigue predispose an athlete to injury, says Lee. In fact, the most common injuries seen in young athletes are overuse injuries - too many sports and not enough rest. Along these same lines, parents should also plan an offseason for their athlete, giving him or her adequate time to recuperate before the next season.

6. Provide a healthy, well-balanced diet.

It's important for athletes to eat a well-balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, and to maintain a regular eating schedule. For instance, have breakfast, lunch and dinner around the same time each day. "In sports like wrestling, where extra importance is put on an athlete's weight, parents also need to make sure their athletes are following safe eating habits," says Dr. Lee.

7. Emphasize hydration.

Heat-related illness is a real concern for athletes, especially during hot and humid days. Parents should make sure their children have adequate water before, during and after play, and watch for any signs of a heat-related illness, including fatigue, nausea, vomiting, confusion or fainting.

8. Get the proper equipment.

Protective equipment, like helmets, pads and shoes, are very important for injury prevention. Parents should talk with coaches before the season starts so that they have adequate time to properly outfit their child before practices begin.

9. Emphasize proper technique and guidelines.

In every sport, there is a correct way and a wrong way of doing things. For example, football players should be taught the proper way to tackle an opponent to avoid a concussion, and baseball players should be taught the proper way to throw and follow the guidelines on how many throws to make in a day. "I often hear from parents that they've followed the guidelines," says Dr. Lee, "except for that one time." Unfortunately, that one time is all your athlete needs for a shoulder injury to happen.

10. Recognize injury and get help early.

"I've seen a number of young athletes who have serious injuries and didn't do anything about them, and now the damage has progressed," Dr. Lee warns. "We need to get these kids in to see a doctor earlier to keep this from happening."

If parents notice that there is a change in their athlete's technique, such as a limp when running, throwing differently or rubbing a leg during activity, they should pull the athlete out of play. If the problems persist, parents should seek an assessment for their child prior to returning to the activity.

Dr. Lee warns: "Athletes will alter the way they do things because of pain, but then they can end up with a more serious injury because of it."

When to see a doctor for your sports-related injury:

1. Consistent pain during or after sports

2. Persistent or new swelling around a joint

3. Recurrent instability - joints "give way"

4. Painful pops (nonpainful pops are OK)

5. Pain that does not respond to a period of rest

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10 Tips for Preventing Sports Injuries in Kids and Teens

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Young athletes push themselves harder than ever before. Here are some tips for parents to help their kids avoid injuries and keep them healthy and in the game.

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Sports ESL Printable Picture Dictionary Worksheets For Kids

Picture dictionary and classroom poster ESL printable worksheets for kids to study and learn sports vocabulary. Look at the pictures and study the words. Useful for teaching and learning sports vocabulary.
(3 sets of picture dictionaries)

Sports ESL Printable Crossword Puzzle Worksheets For Kids

Enjoyable ESL printable crossword puzzle worksheets with pictures for kids to study and practise sports vocabulary. Look at the pictures and the numbers on them and write the words in the crossword puzzle. Teach, learn and review sports vocabulary.
(3 sets of crossword puzzle worksheets)

Sports Vocabulary Matching Exercise Worksheets For Kids

Fun ESL printable matching exercise worksheets for kids to study and practise sports vocabulary. Look at the list below and write the names of the sports vocabulary under the correct pictures.
(3 sets of match up worksheets)

Sports ESL Printable Word Search Puzzle Worksheets For Kids

Fun ESL printable word search puzzle worksheets with pictures for kids to study and practise sports vocabulary. Find and circle the sports vocabulary in the word search puzzle and number the pictures. Effective for teaching and learning sports vocabulary.
(3 sets of word search puzzle worksheets)

Sports ESL Printable Unscramble the Words Worksheets

Enjoyable unscrambling the words ESL printable worksheets for kids to study and practise sports vocabulary. Unscramble the sports vocabulary and number the pictures. Simple and useful for teaching and learning sports vocabulary.
(3 sets of unscramble the words worksheets)

ESL Printable Sports Vocabulary Worksheets, Picture Dictionaries, Matching Exercises, Word Search and Crossword Puzzles, Missing Letters in Words and Unscramble the Words Exercises, Multiple Choice Tests, Flashcards, Vocabulary Learning Cards, ESL Fidget Spinner and Dominoes Games

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Picture dictionary and classroom poster ESL printable worksheets for kids to study and learn sports vocabulary. Look at the pictures and study the words. Useful for teaching and learning sports vocabulary. (3 sets of picture dictionaries) Enjoyable ESL printable crossword puzzle worksheets with pictures for kids to study and practise sports vocabulary.