Importance of Sports in School: Sports, as in any subject, should be a part of the regular curriculum in schools. Many schools do include sports in their curriculum and conduct regular exams and other evaluation methods just like any other subject, but there are also n numbers of schools who neglect the importance of sports in their curriculum.
Sports, in most parts of the developing world, unfortunately, is just considered a past time, secondary priority and career of last resort. And the result of this can easily be seen in the health figures in those respective countries. Countries like China, Japan, Australia or the USA which give priority to sports as much as to any other courses have better population health statistics than other countries that neglect sports
Imagine if the alma mater of Rafal Nadal or Rahul Dravid or An Kumble had neglected sports and worse, discouraged them from taking it as their career option. The face of football or tennis or cricket would have been different by now.
Do Check:
Sports in School – So let us discuss why sports should be made mandatory in schools
- Why sports is important in education?
- What are the different kinds of sports that can be included in the school’s curriculum?
- What are the team sports that students should play?
- What are the individual sports that students should play:
- We have mentioned certain great sporting personalities across the world, which can be a source of motivation for children:
Why sports is important in education?
Mental and physical health
Sports helps in maintaining a balance between both physical and mental health for the students. Students will be under stress during the course of their curriculum for various reasons like exams, assignments or project submission, peer pressure, competition, bullying, fights etc., T
To overcome all these and lead a healthy lifestyle, it is important for schools to include sports and fitness into their curriculums.
Good career
It is not crazy to dream about your child being the next Sachin Tendulkar or Lionel Messi. Especially in countries like India, it has become a matter of stigma to pursue a career in sports, which is a dangerous precedent
A career in sports is a dream for every kid and with enough support and motivation from parents and schools alike, every student with hard work and dedication can achieve that dream. Competition is, of course, high, but then again, which career option is without any competition? Let your kids pursue his or her dream because what’s the point of success if there are no hurdles in that path to achieve it.
Team spirit
Most of the sports like cricket or football involve playing in teams. A kid needs to be thought about how to be a team player as well as a team leader. Mingling with other kids, playing together without individualism and making sacrifices and achievements and finally tasting the success of victory, as one strong team inculcates team values in children
Team spirits are important for kids to have because as they grow up, they will have to work with people from different walks of life and good team spirits will help them sail through difficult stages, easily.
Learn time management and discipline
Constructive use of time and discipline is a major characteristic of any sportsperson. If a student plays a sport, he/she needs to show the commitment of time to be in a particular place at a particular time every day as a part of their routine.
He/she must be patient, disciplined which will enable the student to cope with criticism and setbacks. Each sport has a set of rules and regulations to be followed which helps the students to stay fit and disciplined.
Boost self-confidence
Having that touchdown, scoring a goal, hitting a six or winning a race not only makes a student happy but also it boosts their confidence. Performing in front of a crowd which is constantly noticing your each and every move can be quite unnerving. But a sportsperson is one with focus, patience, the right amount of confidence having a never-say-die attitude.
Playgrounds are apt places for students to improve their self-confidence and morales. Because in playgrounds, it is pure competition and team learnings, and most importantly, playgrounds are the favourites place for any student in the school campus.
What are the different kinds of sports that can be included in the school’s curriculum?
There are plenty of team sports as well as individual sports. A mix of both is important for the children’s all-round development.
So let us divide this into two categories
What are the team sports that students should play?
Sports in Schools – Cricket
Cricket is usually played with a team of 11 (14 including substitutes) on either side. Cricket is usually called the gentleman’s game because even if it’s a team game, it requires good planning and patience from the individual level. Right from bowling to batting to wicket keeping and fielding, it requires good analysis of your own team as well as that f the opposition’s team.
Cricket is an apt game of students to play in their school life because of it teaches thems patience, planning and importance of team performance over individual performances.
Strategy building, decision making, leadership skills, team spirits are some of the attributes children will learn through this game.
Sports in Schools – Football
One of the most popular games across the world has many valuables lessons to teach its fans. The lessons that a game of football can teach students, can never be thought within the confines of the four walls of a classroom.
Some of the valuable life lessons that football can teach areWork hard but play smart
b. Team player over being a team leader
c. Do not run with the ball until you have caught it which teacher much about over-confidence
d. Play through the pain
e. Keep your opponent honest and balance your attack.Sports in Schools – Volleyball
Volleyball is the best example of the importance of football for students. Not only does it require extreme physical stress, but it also involves mental stress as well. The many lessons that student can learn through volleyball are:
Falling is necessary to win.
b. You can’t hit the cross every time because failure is the stepping stone for success.
c. Be humble when you win- volleyball players are known to be extremely friendly and humble with their opponents which is an important trait the children should learn.
d. Practice makes a man perfect.Relay
This game involves passing the baton from one player to next in a running track, which can involve four to five players and the team that reaches the winning mark first is declared as the winner.
This is a perfect example of teamwork. This game involves good planning and analysis for your team’s weaknesses and strengths.
Koko and Kabbadi
A typical desi Indian game is full of aggression and winning spirits
While cricket might be a gentlemen’s game, both Kokko and Kabbadi requires aggression and muscle power to winTeaching aggression and hardcore winning spirits for students is important to survive in the increasingly competitive world.
What are the individual sports that students should play:
Sports in Schools – Tennis and Badminton
Individual games like tennis or badminton help students learn the importance of individualism and self-reliance
Students have complete control over the quality of their performance. There are no team members to blame; they shoulder the responsibility for the outcome, just like in life.
They need to aware of their weaknesses and strengths and that of their opponent player’s to win the game. Games like these help students be accountable to their own actions and face failure or success in their own terms.
Chess
This is a type of sports that does not require any muscle power but requires an immense amount of brainpower. Chess is a game that should be made mandatory in the school curriculum because it improves critical thinking and logical thinking ablates of students.
This game helps them improve their planning and long term strategizing abilities which are a trait that is very important to survive and succeed in life.
Athletics/Swimming
These are another example of individual games that require mental and physical agility to win. The sport is built on a million small and big opportunities for failure.
Getting accustomed to failure and learning how to handle it well is what success is built upon- loads and loads of failure. The greatest champions have lost far more than they’ve succeeded, but we’re in awe of all of their success.
We have mentioned certain great sporting personalities across the world, which can be a source of motivation for children:
Usain Bolt
He is the fastest man alive. If that doesn’t define his greatness, nothing ever will. Bolt ran 100 mts in the Berlin Olympics in a record 9.58 seconds at the speed of 44.72 km/hr.
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is the greatest there is, the greatest there was and the greatest there ever will be. Don’t trust my words. But trust the numerous records the man had set on his path to greatness for more than 2 decades.
Lionel Messi
There is nothing that has to be said about the man that hasn’t already been said. Messi is a God. And damn, he does work in mysterious ways, be it around a bunch of defenders or chipping over Manuel Neuer!
Christiano Ronaldo
The fact that you knew his name would follow Messi in this list is a testament to his greatness. This man has done everything, won everything and has the fitness of a 20-year-old. The debate about who is better shall always live on, but despite all that bitterness, we must not forget to be glad about the fact that we got to have a debate like that!
Sachin Tendulkar
With 34, 357 runs and a 100 centuries in 782 international games spanned over a career of 24 years, Sachin Tendulkar is the undisputed GOAT. And we are so glad to have watched him play. And it’s not just that he scored those runs, it’s how and when he scored them.
Michael Phelps
This guy has literally competed with a shark! That’s how damn good he is. He is so good, he could beat Aquaman and still win another Olympic medal while he is at it. And even if he doesn’t, he would still be walking around with 28!
Virat Kholi
Virat is not only the greatest batsman of this generation, but he is also the leader of an exceptionally gifted squad, that fueled by his ferocity and conviction is doing things that no other Indian team has ever done.
Michael Jordan
Even if you’ve never watched basketball, you’ve heard of him. He was the greatest of his generation and popularized the NBA across the world in the 80s and the 90s. He’s won 6 championships, is a 10 time NBA scoring champion, never lost in the finals and once scored 38 points while he had the flu!