Kids get their kicks

WITH the NRL restarting its season tonight and the AFL set to follow in a couple of weeks, there’s hope kids too will soon be back out on their chosen sporting field.

While sport might look a little different in the wake of COVID-19, getting kids back to their sporting teams when safe will have many benefits, experts say.

Team sports will play an important role in helping kids reconnect with their friends as coronavirus restrictions are lifted, as well as keeping them physically and mentally healthy and teaching them valuable life skills.

THE BENEFITS

Sport Australia deputy general manager James Ceely said grassroots sport would play a key role in the nation’s rebound from the coronavirus shutdown.

“Sport is a great opportunity to bring people together,” he said. “It can play a really important role in the way kids connect back and reengage with their community and peers.”

Exercise and Sports Science Australia sports scientist Nardine Presland said team sports delivered a level of social benefits that individual sports could not, such as friendships and community connections.

And it was not just the child participating who reaped the social rewards, with siblings, parents and even grandparents enjoying being part of the sporting community.

Ms Presland said there were also important physical benefits from sport, including reducing weight and obesity, along with important mental benefits.

“Sport provides an opportunity to boost self-esteem and manage anxiety,” Ms Presland said.

“We can’t assume kids are not anxious about COVID-19, so to get back to their sport might really help with that anxiety.”

Ms Presland said studies had also linked participation in sport to improved self-esteem, memory, attention span, sleep and academic performance.

Being part of a team in a supportive environment also helped kids learn valuable life lessons, like how to lose, how to bounce back from disappointment, how to work with others and how to take direction.

“Team sports allows kids to fail and they have to fail at times to become better at things,” she said. “But there is more support around the fail, the team is sharing the fail but also working together on the solution.”

She said there were many lessons kids could take from the sporting field into their later working lives.

“Everyone has to play their part, there are rules you have to abide by and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”

KEEPING IT FUN

Mr Ceely and Ms Presland agreed having fun should be at the core of kids’ sport.

“If you ask any child why they play sport they say fun,” Ms Presland said. “The day the child does not enjoy the sport any more or does not enjoy the team, that’s the end of it for me.”

Mr Ceely said winning or losing was usually more important to parents than it was kids.

He suggested parents not focus on the game outcome, but on other “goals” such as new skills their child had learnt or teammates they had met.

Ms Presland urged parents not to become too involved or put pressure on their child, and instead provide plenty of support regardless of their kids’ ability.

HOW TO CHOOSE A SPORT

With so many sports out there to choose from, it can be hard to decide which one is right for your youngster.

Mr Ceely said parents could relax; there was no need to make a lifelong commitment on their child’s behalf.

“You don’t have to choose your six-year-old’s sport for life,” he said. “Sampling many sports is a really good thing.

“They will all teach your child something different and your child will enjoy different aspects of each sport.”

Mr Ceely said “bring a friend” days were a great way try different sports before making a commitment.

Ms Presland recommend parents researched their local sporting clubs online and be prepared for some “trial and error”.

She said price, when and where the sport took place, and the family’s other commitments should also be part of the equation.

Also consider your child’s age and their interests.

Less structured sports programs run by private businesses, such as Happy Coconuts which teaches basic skills to kids in Brisbane, were also great ways to introduce children to sporting activities, she said.