The Playground Games Prepare Kids For Life

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.

A love of team sport is usually acquired at a young age during preschool activities when kids are also introduced to the basics of most sport codes. The bonus is that partaking in the playground games at school teach them much more than just good sportsmanship and sport techniques. Group activities also promote mental and physical well-being and equip a child with essential social skills for life.

Ballgames, rope skipping, sack races and other fun games not only keep a child fit and healthy, but are also essential for strengthening their muscles and to promote good eye-hand coordination. At the same time, it teaches them to interact socially with all kinds of people. They develop friendships and camaraderie with team mates and learn essential leadership and social skills in a playful way. Group activities also teach kids to respect one another and it gives them a sense of belonging.

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.

It is therefore imperative that preschool kids are never left alone to fend for themselves on a playground. They need to be consistently supervised and occupied with innovative and original games to keep their attention and interest. Many of these group activities are focused on preparing them for formal sport codes. By using a variety of educational equipment such as balls, hoops, ropes and bats, they learn the basic skills of many official sport codes while they are having fun. The physical benefits of these games are innumerable. It helps to keep them fit and healthy, develop good muscle tone and balance, as well as improve their eye-hand coordination.

Group activities and team sport also help to combat social and health problems such as obesity, depression and poor academic performance. Happy, balanced children love to play in groups. Evidence is growing that physical activity and team sport might even increase a child's numeracy and literacy adeptness.

The benefits of healthy, outdoor activities and team sport can never be stressed enough - especially for growing kids. It equips them with social, physical and mental skills that will stand them in good stead for life. Team sport promotes responsibility, tenacity, team spirit, leadership qualities and even the ability to handle life's disappointments. And it all starts with playground games.

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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