SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 2011 8

Legacyof theSpace Shuttle

CHILDREN love to play. Games and

sports are intrinsic to their nature.

Ever y activity they indulge in

makes them happier and healthier.

Children have boundless energy and sports

offer an outlet to channelize this energy.

Games and sports played during

childhood and in school instill lifelong

posit ive attitudes toward fitness and

exercise, which persist even in adulthood.

Sport is a passion for Indians. Hockey

is the national game while other sports like

cricket, tennis, badminton, chess, boxing,

wrestling, swimming, football etc are also

played with equal enthusiasm. Indians have

remained world champions in hockey and

cricket more than once. Sports like boxing,

tennis, chess, badminton, snooker and

even shooting have brought glory to the

country. Respective sport councils in the

country work towards the strengthening of

sport participation.

On 21 January 2008, in New Delhi, the

Brit ish Prime Minister Gordon Brown

launched Sport for Development (S4D),

International Inspiration UNICEF India, and

a GBP 9 million programme to promote

development through sport in f ive

developing countries – Azerbaijan, Brazil,

India, Palau and Zambia.

The concept of Sport for

Development (S4D) underlines that sport

is an effective tool to help achieve goals

in health, education, HIV/AIDS prevention,

child protection and child development.

It also remains a key tool to help achieve

the Mil lennium Development Goals

(MDGs) and improve the l ives of the

marginalised and excluded children. (The

MDGs are drawn from the content in the

Research has shown that participation in

sports helps children improve the physical,

social, emotional and academic aspects of

their lives. Besides, the experiences of youth

sports influence their behaviour as adults too.

SportingBenefits“Sports and games are a part

of the daily schedule of theschool. These are necessaryfor maintaining physicalfitness and can also teachone how to play fairly.Winning can be exhilaratingbut losing a match can helpyou improve. Victory is oftenthe outcome of co-operationand co-ordination amongstthe members of a team. One-upmanship, as you wouldhave realized, is oftendetrimental to success, whileteam spirit can win thegame. You must alwaysremember that your identity,your standing and yourstature is derived from yourbeing an Indian. We all areIndians! We all are membersof Team India. Hence, wemust collectively work tomake our country strongerand more prosperous.”

Her Excellency, the President ofIndia, Smt Pratibha Patil at a school in

Haryana

PARUL R. SHETH

Children have less time forparticipating in anysporting event

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SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 20119

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Millennium Declaration signed by 147

heads of state and governments during

the UN Millennium Summit in September

2000 for eight goals to be achieved by

the year 2015).

Unfortunately in recent days, children

have less time for participating in any

sporting event. They are busy with their

homework, tuitions, television, computer

games and worst of all, the Internet. And

because of this the rate of obesity amongst

children is on the rise. If you want your child

to be fit lifelong, there is a need to cultivate

a sports-minded culture. This is because

activity dramatically reduces the risk of

many diseases and also reduces the risk

of emotional problems such as anxiety and

depression.

Remember, habits formed early in life

last forever. With a little encouragement

on your part, children would restrict TV

viewing, playing video and computer

games and instead venture outdoors to

playgrounds and gardens. Instead of chips,

biscuits and junk foods, they would opt for

healthier options and reach out for cricket,

athletics, football, basketball, badminton,

swimming or bicycles.

Group Sporting ActivitiesStatistics reveal that less than 10 per cent

of India’s 70 million youth get to participate

in regular organised sport. Basically all

children love to play—indoors and

outdoors. And whichever activity a child

takes up soaks into his/her spongy

personality. But for a child, the major time

is spent at school. Although the play begins

at home, it is the school premises where

sporting activities are organised. Sports

can boost enrolment, enhance learning,

achievement, leadership qualities and

encourage child-centered and

participatory learning.

It is true that individual play does give

a child the chance to make up his own

games and rules but the joy of team sports

helps children build positive attitudes. Even

mere participation in team sports can help

children focus and develop motor skills

and most of all experience teamwork

satisfaction. Organised play ensures a

scheduled commitment in children. It

helps children learn to work amicably with

teammates as well as coaches thus

inculcating problem-solving skills.

Group play encourages competition,

builds self-esteem and helps children get

along with each other and get accepted

by others. Most importantly, the child forms

positive attitudes towards exercise and

fitness. Group activities and organised

sports are more important for children with

Group playencouragescompetition, buildsself-esteem andhelps children getalong with eachother and getaccepted byothers.

Children whoparticipate insports aschildren, reapboth physical aswell as mentalbenefits asadults.

It is best to adopt a sport that works well withyour child’s liking and skills. Assertive children areknown to be better suited for team sports suchas football, basket ball etc where there is closecontact between other children.

It is mandatory not to push your child into any sports he/she isnot comfortable with. The outcome would be a stressed-out childwith falling grades, too tired to go about or refusing to playsports.

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SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 2011 10

disabilities and special needs as these instill

a sense of belonging and acceptance in

them.

Physical BenefitsStudies suggest that those children who

participate in physical activities, exercise

and sports as children, reap both physical

as well as mental benefits as adults. Regular

physical activity keeps a child fit and

healthy and builds immunity thus keeping

‘Sporting’ Benefits

� Maintained body weight and reduced risk of obesity

� Improved lung and heart fitness

� Healthy growth of bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons

� Reduced risk of type-2 diabetes

� Lowered blood cholesterol levels

� Lowered blood pressure

� Ability to relax, improved sleep

� Reduced chronic aches such as headache or backache

� Improved co-ordination and balance

� ‘Feel-good’ feeling, greater confidence and improved self-esteem

� Enhanced social skills, personal skills, leadership, co-operation

� Ability to handle physical and emotional challenges

away sickness and diseases. It has several

other benefits such as reduction of body

fat, strengthening of bones, improving

coordination, balance and flexibil i ty,

improving stamina and concentration and

fighting depression and anxiety.

Certain sports such as tennis,

badminton, cricket or football help the

child to develop hand-eye coordination,

which helps in the overall physical

functions. Activity has also been known to

decrease the risk of chronic diseases such

as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and

obesity. According to the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US,

sports help overweight children get back

in shape and also prevent weight gain in

future. Participation in sporting activities

helps strengthen bones, which lowers the

risk of osteoporosis in later years.

Psychological BenefitsGood physical health automatically

reflects upon your mental health. And this

is why sports offer many psychological

benefits. Research studies have shown that

participation of children in sporting

activities has a great effect on the child’s

growing mind. A child’s energy is

streamlined and used constructively while

taking part in sports. In fact, sporting

activities serve as a release for negative

emotions, which in turn help release stress.

The child benefits psychologically

gaining self-confidence and higher self-

esteem. The self-esteem of a child is

boosted further when parents show a sense

Group playencouragescompetition.

Sports helpoverweight childrenget back in shapeand also preventweight gain infuture.

In India you have plenty ofsporting activities tochoose from—archery,badminton, basketball,cricket, football, handball,hockey, kabaddi, kho kho,lawn tennis, table tennis,volleyball, carrom, chessand many more.

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SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 201111

of pride in the child’s accomplishments.

Surveys show that girls who participate in

sports have a healthier body image, higher

self-esteem and confidence than those

who do not participate.

Sporting activities are directly related

to a child’s academic performance; they

fare better than those who are not

physically active. Studies reveal that even

physically disabled children who have

participated in sporting activities show an

improvement in self-confidence and self-

acceptance.

Sports teach kids how to cope with

difficulties and how to live with losing. It is

when they lose they learn that they may

not always get things going their way. This

teaches them to turn defeats into positive

lessons by learning from their mistakes. A

sport makes good losers as well as makes

children to strive to be good winners. But

there is also a right way to win; how to

have pride when you succeed and at the

same time be humble and polite. It is

important to celebrate a victory without

humiliating your opponents.

For kids participating in sporting

activities is indeed a learning curve. Sports

teach children about r isk taking.

Sometimes, their decisions may affect their

whole team. They learn to be decisive and

be open about the outcome. Children

learn many communication skills when they

take part in activities. They narrate their

sporting experiences to their parents,

teachers and friends. Also they learn to

respect their coaches, referees and

teachers. In addition, sports participation

teaches these children to handle

disagreements and confl icts with

teammates and opposing players in a non-

violent way.

Socially these are the children who

make friends easily because they meet

several people including students and

teachers from different schools, different

neighbourhoods etc. They learn to work

towards achieving a common goal. In a

team play, a child learns sharing and co-

operation; it is okay to lean on others for

help and it is necessary to give others a

chance to shine. Many lessons of life are

learnt on the sports grounds and most

important of them is value of hard work.

Getting Your Kids to Love

SportsPlaying sports reflects upon the child’s

attitudes towards exercise; exercises can

be fun too. One way to lure children to

play sports is to introduce them to good

role models. Sachin Tendulkar, Sania Mirza,

Baichung Bhutia and many more have set

examples as being good sportsmen.

Looking at them, children may want to

mimic them and be like them.

In his book, The Hurried Child, Dr.

David Elkind, an American psychologist

Certain sportshelp the child todevelop hand-eyecoordination.

Remember, habitsformed early in lifelast forever. With alittle encouragementon your part, childrenwould restrict TVviewing, playingvideo and computergames and insteadventure outdoors toplaygrounds andgardens.

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SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 2011 12

and author explains how demanding

coaches and cri t ical parents affect

children’s perceptions about themselves,

sometimes causing them to lose

confidence in their ability to play sports.

And truly so because being critical or

finding faults can make a child think less

of him/her.

Be encouraging and focus on the

child’s goals. According to sports

psychologist Dr. Patrick Cohn of Florida-

based Peak Performance Sports, US, many

times parents enroll a child for a sport, but

they do not talk about tangible goals, or

they tend to put their own measures on

the child. Most children give up playing

sports as they grow up. They leave

because of academic, home and career

pressures or because they feel they may

not be able to succeed in a sporting

career.

If your child decides to quit a sport or

specific activity, look for signs of stress

associated with overtraining. Whether your

child swims, runs, plays frisbee,

dances or learns karate, keep your

eye on the long-term goal; encourage your

child to be a fit, healthy and happy adult.

Choosing Sporting ActivitiesResearchers at Mayo Clinic, Rochester,

Minnesota, US, suggest that kids must

participate in age-appropriate sports.

Toddlers and preschoolers are good at

unstructured sports, such as running and

tumbling. Children at the age of 6 and 7

can do well in gymnastics and ball games.

Kids over 6 are the ones who are ready to

participate in most sports, with adequate

supervision.

The American Heart Association

recommends that all children age 2 and

older should participate in at least 30

minutes of enjoyable, moderate-intensity

physical activit ies ever y day that are

developmentally appropriate and varied.

If your child does not have a full 30-minute

activity break each day, try to provide at

least two 15-minute periods or three 10-

minute periods in which they can engage

in vigorous activities appropriate to their

age, sex and stage of physical and

emotional development.

Studies reveal that evenphysically disabled children whohave participated in sportingactivities show an improvement inself-confidence and self-acceptance.

Organised play ensures ascheduled commitmentin children. It helpschildren learn to workamicably withteammates as well ascoaches thus inculcatingproblem-solving skills.

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Unfortunately in recent days, children have less time for participatingin any sporting event.

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SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 201113

Shaping Children’s Life through

Sports

NGOs like Magic Bus, EduSports and many more use sports and outdoorinteractions as medium to discover the true potential of children andencourage them to find a purpose in life. Today, Magic Bus reaches out toover 3,000 children annually; they are imbedded in slum communitiesacross Mumbai and are piloting sports development programmes acrossIndia. Magic Bus plans to reach out to over 6,00,000 children nationally by2012.

EduSports, a group company of SportzVillage, is a Sports Consultingand Management Services firm that is into providing Physical Education &Integrated Sports Management Services to K-12 (Kindergarten to standard12) schools. At EduSports’ “Integrated School Sports Management Platform”,SOAR has been designed by a distinguished Advisory Panel comprisingleading sports personalities, psychologists, educationists, and professionalsspecifically for the K-12 schools and colleges.

Before choosing any sporting activity,

experts suggest considering a child’s

personality and interest. You may plan a

sporting activity for your child as a parent,

but your child regardless of its age will show

natural preferences. Some children love

water while there are others who may

simply fear water. There are some who

love the rough games while others may

not want those bumps and shoves. You

may want your child to excel in athletics

but your child may prefer martial arts. Every

child has got his or her own likes and

dislikes.

It is best to adopt a sport that works

well with your child’s l iking and ski l ls.

Assertive children are known to be better

suited for team sports such as football,

basket ball etc where there is close

contact between other children. Less

aggressive children may prefer athletics,

swimming, or gymnastics where they are

given more space and independence

from the rest of the team.

In India you have plenty of sporting

activit ies to choose from—archer y,

badminton, basketball, cricket, football,

handball, hockey, kabaddi, kho kho, lawn

tennis, table tennis, volleyball, carrom,

chess and many more.

Age-appropriate SportsIt is true that sports promote fitness but all

children may not be able to participate in

organised sports. You as a parent can help

your child find the right sport and place—

home playground, garden, and school

playground or sports arena. Your child may

show preferences for certain sports. You

must also keep in mind your child’s age,

maturity levels and skills.

Organised sports and athletics are

not the only options for child’s fitness.

There are kids who may not be interested

in any sport. In that case you can

encourage them to go for hikes, cycle

rides, walks, jog, and dance or spend

active time with friends playing games

l ike hide and seek, jumping rope,

skipping etc.

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic, US, have

listed age-appropriate activit ies for

children:

� Ages 2 to 5 – Free play for these

toddlers and nursery students is the best.

These children can master basic

movements but they are too young to

participate in organised sports. They would

enjoy common play activities such as

running, catching, jumping, climbing,

kicking, tumbling, swinging or sliding on a

playground garden, supervised water play

or gymnastics, dancing, playing catch with

a lightweight ball, pedaling a tricycle or a

bike with training wheels.

� Ages 6 to 7 – Motor skills improve after

the age of 6. Their coordination and

attention spans also improve. Children this

age can take part in team sports such as

volleyball, gymnastics, football, cricket with

rubber ball, swimming, tennis, badminton,

martial arts, cycling etc.

� Ages 8 and older – Children this age

are ready for organised team sports.

Running on the track and field events,

supervised weight training, rowing etc are

some of the sporting activities that these

children can take part in.

Taking CareIt is mandatory not to push your child into

any sports he/she is not comfortable with.

The outcome would be a stressed-out child

with falling grades, too tired to go about

or refusing to play sports. Your children

need constant love and support.

Remember they are children and they will

learn and explore at their own pace.

While at play children are vulnerable

to injuries. Also, certain health conditions

such as asthma or seasonal allergies can

get aggravated while playing sports.

Immediate action needs to be taken in

case of any health problem or an injury.

It is true that every child should be

given an opportunity to participate in

sports. But today the sports world is inflicted

with a highly stressful competitive attitude.

The ‘win at all cost’ mind-set affects the

world of children’s sports thus building an

unhealthy environment. It is therefore

important for parents, teachers, coaches

and trainers to help children develop true

sportsmanship.

Ultimately, in the game of life it is the

confidence and positive attitude that help

children sail through with ease.

Dr. Parul Sheth is a Mumbai-based freelancescience writer. She is Honorary Treasurer,National Centre for Science Communicators,Mumbai. Address: E-705/706 Kalp Nagari,Vaishali Nagar, Mulund (West), Mumbai-400 080.Email: parulrsheth@gmail.com

Games and sports played during childhood and in schoolinstill lifelong positive attitudes toward fitness andexercise, which persist even in adulthood.

For a child, the majortime is spent at school.Although the playbegins at home, it is theschool premises wheresporting activities areorganised. Sports canboost enrolment,enhance learning,achievement, leadershipqualities and encouragechild-centered andparticipatory learning.○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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