By engaging in organised out of school sport your child will:
Learn about the value of teams and how they influence the individual.
Understand how to improve their performance. They will come to recognise in themselves improvement through effort.
Value healthy competition. Supporting other team members is also a great skill in human compassion and empathy.
Understand cooperation and teamship.
Value the importance of being fit.
The list goes on and yes teachers will do their best in the limited time they have to raise the profile of sport for children. However, it will not be the same as children taking part in an organised and well-managed team sport. They will be mixing with like-minded children and enjoy their parent’s involvement. The conversations at home are enriched as you talk about the sporting experiences and joy of the challenge.
Of course, I caution that parents should research the sporting club and be satisfied that the values are what you want for your child. Once you join the club, you the parents will so gain from meeting like-minded parents.
Sport outside school is also about long term commitment. It requires regular attendance and loyalty to the sporting activities and events. It reduces a child’s downtime at home, which can often lead to reduced hours in front of a screen and it requires good family planning across the week.
Children initially will often vacillate about what sport they wish to join and there is some perseverance needed from parents here. However, keep the longer-term goal in mind. This is about your child actively involved in a sport that builds fitness, raises their awareness and joy of physical fitness and engages them for the long haul in physical sport.
Having a developed appreciation of the value of sport only comes from personal engagement and the joy of feeling well physically.