Sports In Elementary Schools

Why are sports offered in middle and high school, but not elementary school? One may think that sports in elementary school sports would be pointless, but when examined in depth, there are many benefits to introducing sports earlier in a child’s life. School sports should be introduced in elementary school because they can prevent obesity, build social skills, and provide a positive use of time. First and foremost, participation in school sports can help to prevent obesity. When one participates in physical activity, it is obviously well known to burn fat. If children were to participate in school sports from a young age, it is much less likely that they would become overweight, but since sports do not start until seventh grade, children

While these are all valid concerns, there are solutions for most, if not all, of them. Although middle and high school sports are fairly intense depending on the program, elementary school sports would be more about learning the rules and fundamentals of the activity the child participates in and the team building experience of the sport. Practices would be shorter with less intensive training and fewer meets or games. Admittedly, expense could be an issue in elementary sports because of the uncertainty of whether the child will commit to the sport or not. However, unwanted sports supplies could be resold to other children or donated to someone who needs them more, or perhaps a policy to borrow some equipment that would be returned to the school at the end of the respective sport season. There are also already club sports that allow small children to join. However, these are more expensive because almost all require a monthly fee, which discourages low income families even more. Overall, the pros definitely outweigh the cons when it comes to introducing school sports in elementary school. Through all of the aforementioned consequences of introducing school sports at an elementary level, it would ultimately build self esteem. Building social relationships, being in better shape, and having something to do in free time can all contribute to better self esteem, which could decrease depression. If such a small thing such as introducing sports can have such a big impact on the youth of America, what are we waiting