The benefits of sports in schools

 **Collaborative Post**

AD: Schools come with an abundance of opportunities to learn and develop in different areas of education. From maths, to science and art, the academic curriculum has been carefully designed to ensure students have the chance to develop in all areas needed for a successful start to their careers and personal life. One subject that may not entirely feel like it fits into the traditional style of learning, is sports. However, sports offer students the chance to gain an endless amount of skills that can help support their in-class learning too.

From the benefits it has on academics, to social skills and personal growth, here is some advice from this boarding school in Berkshire, on why sports are beneficial in schools. 

Physical health and fitness 

Engaging in sports promotes physical fitness and encourages an active lifestyle. Given that it has become a lot more common for students to indulge in foods that are less than healthy and spend more and more time using technology (with little to no movement required), taking up a sport can be a great way to ensure students are getting in their exercise too. Regular participation in sports helps students improve cardiovascular health, develop muscle strength and coordination, and enhance overall physical well-being. It also instils healthy habits that can extend well into adulthood, which helps to reduce the risk of obesity and similar health issues, all whilst learning about how their own body works.

Academic performance 

Participation in sports has been linked to improving academic performance. Students who engage in physical activity notice a boost in cognitive function, as well as an improvement in their memory, concentration levels, and information retention. This simple subject also teaches important life skills such as discipline, goal setting, and time management, which are transferable to academic learning. 

Incorporating sports into the academic curriculum offers many benefits to students. From improving physical health and fitness to boosting academic performance, sports plays an important role in the holistic development of students. 

Making new friends

Children will often have a group of friends and rarely venture outside of this group, however taking part in group sports encourages them to engage with other people. Since these people already have a common interest (the sport they are taking part in) and will be spending plenty of time together it can be a great way for children to extend their friendship circle or create a whole new one. It is also great for children to have friends with similar hobbies as it gives them someone to train with, discuss worries with, and also to compete with! 

Often more affordable

There is no denying that sports clubs can get costly, especially if your child wants to partake in more than one sport or you have more than one child. However, schools are often able to offer clubs at a reduced or supplemented rate due to them being funded partly by the government, schools or clubs being able to offer a discount to the school due to lots of students taking part at once. School sports clubs are often less strict on the kit you need to buy too as they aren't always competitive clubs so they can be a great way to try out a new sport and if you really enjoy it at the school level move onto a more competitive group once you know you have a talent or love the sport itself. 

As you can see there are lots of benefits of sports in schools and if your child is sitting on the fence about joining a club why not give them the encouragement to try a sport in school, you never know they may find their new hidden talents at the same time! 

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