As parents, we strive hard to provide our children best of education and other necessities in order to ensure their bright future. We send them to the best schools, encourage their passions and interests, and extend our support during challenging moments. However, if you observe closely, we Indian parents value academics above everything else. Scoring top grades becoming the priority. The consensus among Indian parents had been that academics and grades should not suffer or be affected by extra-curricular activities. We are here to break this misconception.
Break the myth – help them balance sports and studies
Certain extra-curricular activities, like debate, art, quiz competitions etc; have an obvious positive influence in your child’s academic growth. However, when it comes to sports, the connection might not be that obvious. Many parents believe that playing a sport can consume their child’s time, which otherwise could have been used to study. They may also assume that high athletic goals might hinder their child’s academic pursuit. It’s time to break this myth. In this article, we are going to find out how having a well-balanced life of sports and studies can actually help your child’s academic development.
Playing develops mental focus and concentration
Several research papers and studies have proven that playing at least one sport will have a positive influence on your child’s mental focus and concentration. Rigorous physical activity results in improved blood circulation to the brain, thus stimulating the brain cells required for focus and concentration. Heightened brain power and activity results in an increase in the levels of interest in studies, improved cognitive abilities and better understanding.
Playing keeps them physically fit
Having a physically active lifestyle has a huge positive impact on your child’s health. Activities like cricket, football, basketball, tennis, etc keeps them moving constantly which inculcates an athletic lifestyle from a young age. According to research, children who are out and about playing games and working out their bodies through sports are less likely to fall sick than the ones who are always indoors studying. A healthy body is vital for academic excellence. You can’t expect your child to perform academically if they are falling sick constantly.
Playing helps build relationships & teamwork
When children play group sports, they are sub-consciously building their social relationships. Team sports like cricket and football also contribute in establishing strong group dynamics. Having a healthy social circle and the ability to work well in teams will make your child a more rounded individual, with higher self-esteem and confidence to interact and learn in all kinds of environments. They get involved in classroom discussions with teachers and other classmates. They participate in debates and exchange knowledge with each another in group study sessions, thus improving their academic scope and make them a good team player.
Playing helps blow off stress
We all will agree that, playing is a great stress buster for our children. These days, there is a huge pressure on students to perform better and achieve higher. Indulging in a physical activity helps them de-stress as well as improve other facets of their personality, keeps them performing at their optimum capacity. They will be able to concentrate better on their studies, without feeling the pressure, and thus get better grades.
What do we learn from this?
With this topic, we want to discourse the doubts that many parents harbour in their minds – If I let my kid play, will their studies get affected?
While constantly playing around will definitely reduce study time, however when done in moderation, sports can actually become the catalyst in your child’s academic performance. Therefore, our recommendation to all concerned parents is – if you are going to let your child blow off some steam and have fun, allow them to play a sport that they thoroughly enjoy! It will reinvigorate their motivation levels to perform better, both in the classroom and in the field.
