Most kids choose to take part in some kind of physical activity when growing up. Whether it’s group sports, school PE, or running, sports is an enjoyable task that most kids look forward to. But the science is in – not only are sports great for physical and mental health, but the benefits transcend other aspects of life. One such key area is the business world. Here, 4KidzSports shares insight into how sports help children move forward in the business world.
Biggest Sports Takeaways
There is no doubt that sports offer a plethora of takeaways for young kids and teens. Sports also typically take place in a controlled environment, which means that this is a positive and safe way to shape our children. Let’s look at some of the main lessons learned in sports – that help in the business world.
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Time management: Making it to practice on time and learning specific skills before a competition helps prime your child for the hectic pace of the business world. This thus builds skills in accountability, scheduling, and time management.
Leadership: Your child and their team will go through many ups and downs during their time together. Be sure to encourage your kid to become a leader to unite the group when needed. Keeping a team motivated is a critical lesson that can be gleaned from sports.
Teamwork: While leadership is critical in business, so is being a team player. Learning how to put aside differences and come together toward a shared goal is one of the biggest takeaways from sports, WeForum writes. This can be a distinguishing factor in creating great leaders from a young age.
Perseverance: Sports take time, dedication, communication, and hard work. One of the most critical lessons picked up from sports is that hard work is rewarded. This will be beneficial in motivating them to improve their skills and advance their career.
Applying Sports Lessons IRL
So your kid is actively involved in sports, and their business skills are growing. What next? You can provide an extra boost that will help prepare your child for the business world even more. The best way to do this is to encourage them to explore experiences where they can apply their sports lessons while developing their business acumen. An excellent place to start would be taking up a ‘starter job,’ like running a lemonade stand, taking up a paper route, or beginning a dog-walking or babysitting business. This helps reinforce the skills already learned in sports and is supplemented with lessons on accounting, bookkeeping, and more. Encourage your child to take this job seriously, and treat it as they would a full-time job. They could do this by taking on a ‘business partner’ or expanding the business.
Another great practice to implement will be considering all elements of branding, including logo design. Having a personalized logo is made easy with an online tool that lets them customize fonts, styles, colors, and more to better express themselves better in their endeavor. Ensuring their business is branded properly and looks professional will be a key takeaway from the experience.
According to the NCAA, nearly eight million students in the U.S. participate in high school athletics. Just imagine the potential there if each child was nurtured to develop business skills and acumen! Your child would be set up with a toolkit to carry them through their career and life. Thus, be sure to encourage your child to learn from sports today to advance their business future tomorrow!
At 4KidzSports, we encourage kids to advance their lives and faith through participation in sports, music, arts, and more. Want to learn more about what we do? Check out our mission statement here.
Article by: Jenny Miller
mailto:jenny@stopndd.org