Why Sports Are Good for Kids

Each year, 60 million children play youth sports in the United States – a number that continues to grow, according to the National Council of Youth Sports.

No matter the sport, there are many reasons why children of all ages benefit from joining a team sport.

Christine Blonski, DO, is a sport medicine physician in Irondequoit and explains several reasons why sports continue to be good for kids.

Benefits of youth sports

Physical health

Moving your body is a simple and effective way of staying healthy that stays true from a young age to your senior years. Physical exercise is linked to having healthy bones and a healthy weight, better heart health, and a lower risk of cancer and diabetes, according to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Science Board.

Mental health

A healthy body goes hand in hand with a healthy mind. Kids who play sports demonstrate lower rates of anxiety, depression, and stress, according to researchers. They also show improved cognitive performance and creativity, along with a lower risk of suicide and substance abuse.

Teamwork and cooperation

Being able to work together as a team builds a strong foundation for cooperation and collaboration throughout any player’s life. An athlete who develops a strong sense of empathy and social skills through sports participation is more likely to transfer those skills into other areas of life, according to studies.

Leadership

Young athletes often learn how to lead a team and interact with leaders through their sport from an early age. A review of multiple studies found athletes, especially in high school sports, believed playing a sport helped them develop leadership skills and quality relationships with their teammates.

Self-discipline

Through rigorous training and practices, young athletes learn skills that help them in areas outside of sports, including academics and future careers. Some of these areas of self-control and focus include goal setting, time management, work ethic, negotiation, and resilience.

Social connections

By joining a team, young athletes get to see more people who share a common interest on a consistent basis. This increases their social network and ties directly into their ability to cooperate and collaborate with others in the future, according to the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.

How to prevent overuse injuries

Of the millions of children who play youth sports, more than 3.5 million kids under age 14 receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year.

Of those injuries, nearly half are overuse injuries that happen to middle and high school students. Many of these types of injuries are preventable.

Recognizing the symptoms of an overuse injury can help to lessen the chances of one happening. This includes:

• difficulty moving a joint
• swelling joints
• pain that lasts for more than a couple days
• pain that affects an athlete’s performance

Encouraging our kids to become stronger and more flexible through age-appropriate strength and conditioning programs is a great step in building them up. Ensuring we give them the appropriate amount of rest, particularly our young kids who are still growing, can reduce their risk of injury.

Physical therapy can play an important role in this development. If a young athlete is overcoming an injury or chronic condition, our physical therapists work closely with athletes based on their unique abilities, needs, and goals to keep them healthy and succeeding on the field.

“It is important to understand that our kids need time to recover properly; otherwise, the chances of long-term effects start to grow,” Dr. Blonski said.