Good question!  After all, there are plenty of other sports you can choose for your child to play.  You can either register them in a team sport like baseball or basketball or an individual sport like golf, the choices are plentiful. What makes [tag-tec]Soccer[/tag-tec] so special and is it better than any other sport?

In today’s society, there are many ways that our children can spend their free time. Some of these pastimes provide little value for example, watching television or playing computer games. These activities tend to keep them indoors and do not provide the opportunity to mix with children of their own age. Additionally, there are plenty of other temptations that are presented to our children in the form of drugs or criminal activity. As parents, we should encourage our children to participate in recreational activities.  It doesn’t really matter what that activity is as long as it is an organized activity that allows the child to participate, build relationships and develop their skills.  [tag-tec]Soccer[/tag-tec] is a great example of such an activity.
 
Soccer has many positive benefits for young people. One of the major benefits of playing is the physical benefits. While most forms of exercise or physical exertion are good for a child’s physical health, some studies have shown that soccer is one of the best physical activities a child can participate in. These studies have shown that youth [tag-tec]soccer players[/tag-tec] tend to have greater bone density than children who participate in standard physical education classes. This will not only prevent bone fractures while the child is still young, but may also keep him or her from developing the osteoporosis in later years. [tag-tec]Soccer players[/tag-tec] also have greater lean muscle mass than participants in standard physical education classes, according to these studies.

[tag-tec]Soccer[/tag-tec] is promoted at a youth level as being fun to play.  I encourage all [tag-tec]soccer coaches[/tag-tec] that are involved in [tag-tec]coaching youth soccer[/tag-tec] to promote this above everything else at a very young age. More young people will willingly participate in physical activity if it is enjoyable. Traditional school physical education programs involving exercises such as jumping jacks, these are generally boring to children and therefore the children may not fully participate in the activity. A game is always fun for children, and soccer is no exception.  When coaching the little kids, I know I am always asked at soccer training, ‘When can we play a game?”  There is also very little skill training involved at a young age and all the child needs to know is they need to run and kick and they do this instinctively anyway. Children can therefore begin playing soccer more quickly than they can with other sports such as gymnastics.

Soccer can also help children socially. Children who play soccer learn the importance of teamwork. Teamwork helps children with their peers when they are young, and will also be important in adulthood, in the workplace. I have discussed the importance of teamwork in soccer in a previous post.

[tag-tec]Soccer[/tag-tec] is also a competitive sport. Children will learn that they will not always win and it is not the end of the world if they do lose.  As important as it is in learning how to accept winning and not gloat about their achievements, it is just as important that they learn how to lose and accept defeat graciously and not be labeled a sore loser.  The skill that they learn here will stay with them for the rest of their life.
 
As I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of distractions for our kids as they are growing up.  The problem starts when the kids get bored and they look for things to do.  Alcohol and drugs are too easy to obtain these days. We have a role as parents to remove this temptation from our kids and ensure they are kept busy and involved in activities such as soccer.

If you are approached by your child to play soccer, consider the points I have mentioned above.  [tag-tec]Soccer[/tag-tec] is a great game for children to be involved in and provides an opportunity for you to spend some time with your child which will be beneficial to both you and your children in the future.