As children take the field, some may wonder how children benefit from youth sports. Some may see sports as rigorous activities that aren’t beneficial for them. From fielding in tee ball to scoring goals in soccer, children are learning through every practice and game. Youth sports help provide children with skills that will last a lifetime. Some of which are sportsmanship, leadership, teamwork, time management and communication. Without these attributes, everyday life would be much harder and these children would need help learning the following skills.

Youth sports teach children the values of sportsmanship from a young age, which ultimately leaves them with a good attitude towards their opponents for the remainder of their athletic careers as well as outside of sports alone. Having good sportsmanship is a quality that most youth sports coaches aim to teach when they run practices. Good athletes are able to play the game without talking bad to officials, other teammates, etc. When children learn to be able to play each game with positive attitudes they are developing qualities that will last a lifetime.

Every team has its leaders whether it be based on skill and performance, attitude or other positive attributes. Being able to help lead a team to victory from a young age helps improve children’s leadership skills later on in life. If a child is able to be a leader by helping his or her teammates, communicate effectively, make decisions and show passion for a sport, later on in life, he or she has a better chance to excel and be more likely to take on leadership positions whether that be in school or the workplace.

“[Youth sports] have taught me how to be a better communicator since I know everyone from playing [sports] from when I was younger so I feel more comfortable,” junior Hunter Black said.

Teamwork plays a big role in all sports. When young athletes are put in situations where they have to work well with others, they learn skills that can help them in everyday life and in the workplace, specifically. Everyone has to be able to work well with others in any situation and youth sports help children experience the values of teamwork.

Through sports, practices, games, school work, a social life and overall daily tasks, children have to learn how to balance and manage their time effectively. If a child is able to manage their time from a young age, they are much more likely to manage more effectively when they are older. Managing time also comes with making sacrifices. For example, a child may want to play their brand new video game before practice; however, if he or she is able to do that, he or she won’t have time to complete the homework assigned to them. This means that the child would then have to sacrifice playing the video game to do their homework. Being able to make sacrifices to manage time is extremely important in life.

Youth sports provide children with many life lessons that will help them later in their athletic careers, in school and even in their professional lives. Without the endless hours of practice, weekend games or even the extra work that children put into their practice, many life lessons would never be obtained by the youth.