The Role of Sports in a Child's Development

The other day my little brother, Miles, was placed on a baseball team in my town's Little League. Even though we sent in his registration forms way after the deadline, they let him in the league and needless to say I was ecstatic when I heard the news. Not only was I happy because I'll have an opportunity to watch my brother play a sport I once loved, but also because I am a huge believer in the positive impact that sports have in a child's development. For me personally, sports were a huge staple of everything I did when I grew up. I also learned a lot of transferable skills from sports such as teamwork, motivation and leadership skills. A paper title "Healthy Child Development Through Sport and Recreation: A Discussion Paper"details the benefits associated with playing sports as a child. One benefit that the paper discusses is "smart" risk taking, meaning children are less likely to smoke or do drugs if they play sports. The paper also details how sports can enhance family relationships and also allow children to develop positive supportive attachments with adults outside the family (coaches). Anyway, the bottom line is that I am extremely happy for Miles. I can't wait to practice with him and go to his games. I encourage everyone to support their brother/sister/son/cousin to participate in activities with positive benefits, whatever that may be (*cough* sports *cough*)