Top 5 reasons to get your child involved in instructional sports

Every Saturday morning, youth ranging in age from 3-15 gather at the East Butler County Family YMCA to have fun and learn the fundamentals of sports in a positive, low pressure environment. They develop the skills they need to play the sport as well as some lifelong skills they can carry with them throughout the years.

The benefits of participation in sports for children and adolescents are numerous and span across multiple domains, including physical, psychological, and social development.

1. Physical Benefits: Participation in sports fosters vigorous physical activity and energy expenditure. This also helps with physical development including stronger muscles and bones which helps to decrease the risk of future injuries. Playing sports also aids in weight control and helps reduce the risk of diseases that come from being overweight throughout their lifetime. Your child can improve cardiovascular endurance to help keep his/her heart healthy.

2. Psychological Benefits: The psychological outcome for community-based programs is successful if physical activity is combined with positive social constructs. Playing sports at a young age enables children to participate not only socially but it also helps to build skills such as leadership and responsibility as they learn to work with others to achieve a common goal.

3. Teamwork: Those who have played sports before know that teamwork is one of the most important skill sets you can learn from your experience in sports. Teamwork is a skill that will be used for years to come. It teaches our young ones the important lessons in team dynamics, trust of your teammates, and knowing that your strengths and weaknesses are different from others. This can help to decide what strategy works best for the team.

4. Discipline: Sports also require those who participate to be disciplined in tactical, mental, and physical aspects of the game. Good discipline translates to life situations in order to achieve goals and reach his/her fullest potential. The instructional sport setting allows children to develop and practice different mental and moral qualities they acquire from their surroundings on the field, at school, and in the home.

5. Guidance: Children haven’t experienced or learned what adults have, so they require additional guidance. This guidance can be provided by participating in youth sports because it gives the child an opportunity to meet positive role models. These positive role models might be coaches and parent volunteers who can help improve player satisfaction, motivation, self-esteem, teamwork, through positive reinforcement and teaching.

Youth sports can provide children so much more than just the skill set they need to play the game. They learn lifelong lessons that can be carried on with them forever. I should know, I grew up playing instructional sports and have learned so much about myself and others through the experience of participation in sports. The possibilities of how sports can improve a child’s life are endless.

Registration is going on now for YMCA youth sports.

• Spring Soccer – Registration Ends March 5

• Summer Baseball – Registration Begins March 6

• Summer Basketball - Registration Begins March 6

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GREAT MIAMI VALLEY YMCA LOCATIONS

ATRIUM FAMILY YMCA: 5750 Innovation Drive, Franklin (513-217-5501)

EAST BUTLER COUNTY FAMILY YMCA: 6645 Morris Road, Hamilton (513-892-9622)

FAIRFIELD FAMILY YMCA: 5220 Bibury Road, Fairfield (513-829-3091)

FITTON FAMILY YMCA: 1307 NW Washington Blvd., Hamilton (513-868-9622)

HAMILTON CENTRAL YMCA: 105 N. Second St., Hamilton (513-887-0001)

MIDDLETOWN AREA YMCA: 1020 Manchester Ave., Middletown (413-422-9622)