lundi 1 septembre 2014

Innumerable Benefits To Be Found In The Playground Games

By Mattie MacDonald


Playground games entail much more than just fun and frolic. It is one of the first places where young children learn how to socialize and develop good sportsmanship skills through group activities.

Most people can still remember their first childhood games and how they competed with their peers to win the sack race or to throw a ball the furthest. The skills they acquired while merely participating in the playground games at school, unknowingly equipped them with very important values and moral lessons for life. Apart from the physical benefits such as fitness, muscle development and coordination, group activities help build character and promote healthy social skills.

Skipping, jumping and various ballgames are part and parcel of school activities during lunch time breaks. These games are not only crucial for a child's physical fitness and muscle development, but also help them to interact and socialize with different people in a group situation. This is the time and place where the foundation is laid for acceptable social and moral behavior and respect for others. Inappropriate conduct such as selfishness, bullying and tantrums are seldom tolerated in a group situation and thus a culprit quickly learns to either play by the rules, or be shunned.

There is, however, also a downside to playground games if it is not properly supervised. Young kids are normally selfish and unwilling to share. Bullying and fights can easily occur if trained teachers and coaches are not around to take control and defuse explosive situations in a proper, sensible way. Kids can be cruel to one another and victims of school bullies often suffer lasting emotional damage.

Especially young kids under the age of 4 should never be allowed to play in groups without proper supervision. Team activities differ from school to school and place to place, but most kids' first experience of playground games include fun activities with basic equipment such as ropes, balls and bats to improve their balance, eye-hand coordination, as well as their muscle development. These fun games also lay the groundwork for more advanced team sports to follow in future years, by teaching them from start the proper techniques of how to catch, kick and throw a ball, hold a bat or racket or how to bowl. Experience builds confidence and a child with a healthy self-esteem is seldom shy or depressed.

The old adage - a healthy body, a healthy mind - is more applicable than ever in today's life where society puts tremendous pressure on kids to excel in various fields. Research indicates that physical activity might also increase a child's academic ability.

The social, physical and mental benefits of group activities and team sport are innumerable. Apart from keeping a child active, fit and healthy, it promotes values and valuable social skills such as good team spirit, responsibility, problem solving, patience and perseverance. They learn there is no I in the word team and winning is not everything. When a team loses, a child learns how to overcome failure and how to cope with disappointments in life.

The physical, social and mental advantages of healthy playground games should never be underestimated, as it lays the foundation for a happy, balanced and well-adjusted individual.




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