The health benefits of sport for children
New technologies tend to make children more sedentary than they used to be. However, sport in children has real beneficial effects on their health and growth.
The benefits of sport on growth
It has long been thought that the practice of a sporting activity in a child had an influence on its final height and its weight in adulthood. It is not so. However, physical activity in children and adolescents has an influence on bone structure . Studies have shown that regular activity has a certain influence on bone mineralization, and therefore on the strength of the skeleton. Other genetic and environmental factors obviously come into play, but playing a sport during prepuberty and puberty has some positive effects.
Physical activity also has a positive effect on building muscle and maintaining a healthy weight . In terms of motor skills, the child also learns to better use his body and develops his skills . As he trains, he also develops his endurance and his body’s ability to defend itself against certain environmental factors.
Beware, however, of sports that are too intense, which can have the opposite effect. The risk of injury is greater and can affect the skeleton or the joints, which can lead to a little growth retardation. Also beware of intensive sports which impose excessive dietary restrictions and which can have dramatic consequences on the weight and health of young girls.
The psychological benefits of sport on children
From an early age, a child often needs to socialize and the family circle quickly becomes too limited. A sporting activity can be a good way for a child to make new social circles and new friends . Enrolling a pre-teen in a sports club is often a good idea. However, it is necessary to check that it feels good there.
Sport in children also has positive effects on self-esteem . Anyone who perseveres sees the results of their efforts and gains self-confidence. These feelings have a very particular importance at the time when the hormonal upheavals can disturb the cognitive development of the child.
From a purely mental point of view, sport also improves concentration skills and improves sleep , in addition to relieving tension . However, it is always necessary to ensure that the child continues to enjoy what he is doing. Do not hesitate to remove him from a club if he insistently requests it.
Adapt sports activity according to age
Sport has real beneficial effects on the body and mind from the age of 10. However, it is quite possible to make them practice physical activity before this age. Before school, a baby performs a lot of physical effort with the help of his parents. Between the ages of 3 and 6, a child’s taste for sport remains very strong. His parents must make sure to provide him with enough: outdoor activities two to three times a week are enough.
From the age of 6, the child seeks above all to improve his motor skills and refine them. Certain rather technical sports such as gymnastics or figure skating can help him improve. Until about 11 years old, they continue to improve the technicality of gestures, and their concentration develops more and more.
At pre-puberty, the child may have the impression of going backwards: taming his new, more massive body can sometimes make gestures imprecise. But this is also the time when he often tries to give his opinion on his training, to participate actively in order to question authority. It is advisable to move towards a more physical than tactical activity.
During the second phase of puberty, the teenager is more accustomed to his new body. As a result, his gestures often become much more precise. If he has practiced the same activity for years, this is also the time when he will begin to acquire a real talent.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.