If there is one thing that years of scientific and sociological studies pertaining to children have taught, it is that creating confidence in them is vital for a fulfilling life. This is not to say that confidence should be instilled through meaningless platitudes and mere words of encouragement. It should be developed through real world activities and situations. To that end, one good way to instill a sense of self-respect in children is through organized sports.
Sports are about far more than having fun, even though fun should always be the prime directive. Studies have also shown that overachieving adults, striving to live vicariously through their kids, can do tremendous damage. Rather, a sport should be enjoyed for its innate joy, and the lessons learned should be an added benefit.
Soccer, for example, is a fun to play sport whose popularity continues to grow worldwide. There is good reason for that. It is a team affair, where the players can learn about gamesmanship and sacrifice in the context of a game. Team sports are very good tools for teaching the importance of working well with others.
Soccer also has clearly defined goals, literally, and clearly defined ways of achieving those goals. This teaches children the importance of having defined parameters and pursuits in life. Of course, creating confidence goes right along with setting and then achieving simple, straightforward goals.
Sports also offer every child a chance to achieve, and maintain, a healthy level of physical fitness. As much of the world is slowly succumbing to diseases related to poor diet and obesity, an activity like soccer will keep kids very active for extended periods of time, creating a healthy lifestyle as another added benefit.
And sports can instill a love of learning, in a different fashion than that of traditional classroom settings. A good coach teaches players the importance of having a plan, and then how to enact that plan. That is the essence of any model of success in later life. Creating confidence in children prepares them for future successes.
Again, creating confidence in the kids should be the goal of any parent or guardian. And one of the best way to do so will be through actual activities that can provide an arena of how winning, and just as importantly, losing, work in the real world. Real confidence is earned, and sports programs provide the necessary environment for that experience to play out.
