Champion Minds: How Sports Can Dynamically Reshape Students’ Lives!

As parents, we always want to provide our children with the best opportunities to grow and excel in their lives. While academics have always been the centre of attention, it is important not to overlook the significance of a healthy body with a happier mind. In this regard, the importance of sports in students’ lives cannot be overstated.

In a school setting, a good balance of extracurricular activities and academic guidance helps kids grow and learn. Students’ grades can improve if they play more sports at school.

In this blog, we will explore the importance of games and sports in students’ lives, discuss the benefits, and share some do’s and don’ts.

So, what are you waiting for?

Let’s dive in!
Benefits of Sports in Students’ Lives
Apart from just being a ‘FUN’ thing, there are multiple ways sports can help students:

• Improve Physical Health: Participating in sports helps students maintain their physical health and stay fit. The importance of sports and games in students’ lives is evident through the numerous health benefits they provide, such as reducing the risk of obesity, improving energy levels, and facilitating the healthy growth of muscles and bones.

• Support Mental Well-being: Playing sports, especially team events, also has a positive impact on a student’s mental health. They help to release stress, overcome anxious thoughts, and improve concentration levels. Positive collaboration with other students can increase a child’s ability to communicate. Moreover, sports can instil a sense of accomplishment and boost self-esteem.

• Promote Teamwork and Social Skills: The role of sports in students’ lives extends beyond physical health, as it also teaches students the value of teamwork, cooperation, and problem-solving. Playing in a team fosters social skills, emotional intelligence, and an understanding of the importance of supporting one another.

• Develop Discipline and Time Management: Balancing academics and sports helps students develop time management skills and discipline. They learn to prioritise their tasks, set goals, and work towards achieving them.

• Teach Life Lessons: Although sports events might look like all fun and games, they expose students to real-life situations where they learn to face challenges, overcome obstacles, and develop resilience. Students also learn the importance of sportsmanship, fair play, and respecting their opponents.

What Can Parents and Students Do?

Do’s:

• Encourage your child to participate in sports, even if they don’t show a natural talent for them. The goal is to help them develop a healthy lifestyle and look beyond the realm of core academics.

• Support your child’s choice of sport, even if it’s not your favourite or you’re unfamiliar with it. If your kid is passionate about something, let him/her explore it to the fullest.

• Attend their games and practises; it shows your support and interest in their passion. On the other hand, students should try to learn the rules of the games and continue practising at their own pace.

• Talk to your child’s coaches and teachers to make sure that their school and sports schedules are balanced. Students should also talk about their interests and plan their days so that they have time to study and do things outside of school.

Don’ts:

• Don’t force your child into a particular sport. Let them explore and find the one they enjoy the most. Additionally, students should also not stop exploring and trying out different types of sports to find something they are passionate about.

• Avoid comparing your child’s performance to others’ or setting unrealistic expectations.

• Don’t overemphasise winning; focus on the values and lessons sports can teach.

Fun Fact! Did you know that the legendary scientist, Albert Einstein, was a passionate sailor? He believed that sailing helped him develop his problem-solving skills and cultivate his creativity. Sailing allowed Einstein to clear his mind, and some of his best ideas were conceived while he was out on the water. This serves as a reminder of the importance of sports and physical activities in shaping the lives of even the most brilliant minds.

Narayana Schools – Where Students Explore their Limits Above & Beyond

We are committed to creating an environment of excellence and ensuring that our students excel in every sphere of physical activity. We have developed our own outcome oriented and age-appropriate physical education programme, ‘nSports’, which ensures:

• Inclusive physical and mental development to produce physically fit and confident students.
• The nurturing of talent and develops sporting excellence.
• Fostering the spirit of healthy competition, teamwork, fair play, and sportsmanship.

                                                   (Narayana Students Playing Kabaddi During NPL)

nSports is an age-appropriate programme designed for the Narayana Group of Schools. There is an emphasis on motor skills and object manipulation for kindergarten students; for grades 1–5, the focus is on fitness and the basics of sports such as basketball, volleyball, kabaddi, and cricket; and for students above these age groups, there is a focus on advanced sports skills, competitions, and talent identification.

Each year between October and January, we also organise the NPL (Narayana Premier League), our own interschool tournament, which is a part of our nSports Curriculum.

In this, students participate in games like Cricket, Athletics, Kho-Kho, Kabaddi, Basketball, Volleyball, Throw ball, Tug of war, Dodgeball, and Table-Tennis.

As a result of these programmes and initiatives, Narayana School students regularly bag top positions in various state and national level sports competitions.

Conclusion

As parents, we should help and encourage our kids to make sports an important part of their lives. Sports help them foster a mindset of excellence and the right attitude towards competition. Constantly striving to win will help them be resilient in life, to try again after failures, and to learn and grow from their mistakes.

Sports will teach your child to take on challenges head-on, whether they come from a field or life itself.