Remember how it felt to be a child, running around the yard or playing kickball in the street? To be energetic, excited, and have the urge to stay outside until sunset. As a kid, most of us found that the best way to express ourselves and have fun was to play sports or go outside. In recent years, with the booming technological world, many kids find themselves entertained through technological stimulation; video games, movies, and screens. Does this make a difference in who kids will grow up to be? We don’t know, but what we do know is that research supports tons of different ways that participating in sports as a child can benefit! LtN supports National Youth Sports week by demonstrating exactly how the kids in our program are developing important life skills and having fun through the sport of lacrosse.

Sports have been around for a long time, originating with the Greeks and the Olympics and evolving into the modern sports that we see today. Sports are a huge pastime and are available across all types of media, globally, proving their importance to the world. Sports play an important role in the development of kids too; research shows that there are many benefits to youth sports. Those benefits can include, but are not limited to:

Building Self-Esteem,
Physical Benefits,
Providing Social Interaction,
Teaching Discipline
Building Character, Leadership skills, Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle,
and more!

While youth sports have amazing benefits, they can be challenging and difficult for some kids to engage in due to a variety of reasons among families and children. The most common barriers that prevent involvement in youth sports include:
Cost,
Lack of Time,
and Lack of Inclusive Options

By identifying these barriers and advocating for change, you can help bring sports to the youth in your community. Some ways that we have helped accomplish this in our communities and programs are by promoting fun and friendly competition, praising activity, promoting the benefits of youth sports to parents, and being role models. Our coaches and volunteers have done an amazing job helping kids and communities get active and demonstrating exactly why participation in youth sports is beneficial. Other ways that you can promote youth participation in your community include; advocating for safety and accessibility, reducing screen time, encouraging getting outside, participation in different activities, and more!

If you want to do some more reading about Youth Sports and their benefits, we recommend this link! https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/youth-sports-facts

And don’t forget to check out the other ways we’re involved by visiting our social media!

Instagram: @laxthenations

Twitter: @laxthenations

References
http://kidsplayusafoundation.org/benefits-of-youth-sports.html
https://www.superiorhealthplan.com/newsroom/national-youth-sports-week-2020.html
https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/youth-sports-facts/benefits