As the parent of a preschooler you want to make sure that you set your child up for success in their school years and beyond. At times as parents you envision big hopes; maybe you want them to be bright and happy with amazing artistic and sporting abilities? The truth is, at this age they just want to have fun with the world, so everything they do in their day is being learnt at an intuitive level; they are building their foundations for success.
Building a strong foundation for social skills
As much as your child might be quite the adult-converser around the dinner table or be the one that hogs the biggest slide in the playground, there are many times
when we ask ourselves – how they mingle with other children when you’re not around?
Team sports require children to experience more of their society. There will be coaches, referees/umpires, and other children that they may not usually mix with from another school/class or age. They will experience a more diverse range of social situations to draw upon as they mature. Over time, you may find that they make friends easier and communicate more efficiently.
They learn to take wins and losses
Naturally children want to win every time. That’s why even when you lay down the rules and refuse to let them eat more cookies, they might still try to sneak a couple behind your back! Learning the emotions of winning and losing is a very complex process, one that even some adults don’t have full control over at times. Understanding and accepting that there will be times when you can try with all your effort and still not win takes time and patience; we all know it hurts. It is definitely ones of those situations that will repetitively happen and you need to look at it from a preschooler’s level to work it out together.
Boosts confidence
Team sports are usually a great self-esteem booster since they teach children to learn their own strengths and capabilities. They learn to believe in themselves, they learn to be leaders and to take charge. Knowing that you are part of something that is greater than you, even for a child, means a lot and this is usually exhibited in the commitment they have for their team. Even if they decide that football, soccer, basketball, hockey, or whatever team sport is not for them, perhaps an individual pursuit might be of more interest. Sports like tennis, golf or swimming, will still teach them all these character traits that create a confident and talented child.
You never know, you might find a new hobby as well.
