A team sport involves teammates facilitating the movement of a ball or similar object in accordance with a set of rules to score points. It also involves coaches putting players in positions to support their skill and characteristics. This teaches athletes that they can’t do it alone and that they have to work toward something greater than themselves. Working with a diverse group of teammates teaches them to collaborate and adapt to new situations, which will serve them well in the real world as they build professional careers and relationships.
A common misconception is that team sports are less fun than individual sports, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, there is a growing body of research highlighting the pedagogical benefits of team sports for kids.
Kids who play team sports learn valuable lessons about being a good sport, winning and losing, and how to collaborate with others in a safe environment. They learn to value each teammate’s abilities and how their strengths contribute to the shared goal of the game, which can help them become more supportive, patient and optimistic in other parts of their life.
They also learn the importance of planning and time management — when they have practice twice a week, games on weekends, and other responsibilities, they need to be able to juggle a lot of things at once. This is a great preparation for the kinds of competitive environments they’ll encounter in their future career, in college and beyond.