Importance of Sports in School Curriculum
“What can be learned in the playground cannot be learned in the classroom”.
The importance of sports in the school curriculum can be understood well with this proverb. In modern times, sports have also evolved as a form of entertainment while offering promising careers.
Schools in Dehradun lay a strong emphasis on sports & the physical development of the children. They believe in mass participation as their curriculum of sports is designed and planned in such a way to develop & enhance skills like strength, speed, endurance, agility, control, balance & flexibility, etc.
Swami Vivekananda once said that we can reach heaven by playing football rather than by reading holy Scriptures. It is a pity for a country like India that, being the second most highly populated country in the world we are lagging behind other countries in the Olympic Games.
This is because sports school in India have not been given the utmost importance in our education system. It is needless to say that if we want our Children with nerves of steel & muscles of iron, we have to add sports as a part of the school curriculum.
How do schools help students with sports & games?
Schools must include games & sports in the everyday school timetable. This can help children to choose the preferable games which they like.
We are discussing a few most important benefits of making sports an important part of the school curriculum:
1. Sportsmanship
Playing Sports teaches us sportsmanship about how to be strong still even when defeat is on our side. Learning how to be humble, for when they grow older they will be able to accept failures and mistakes.
Doing necessary improvements and adjustments in life will help them become strong & persistent so that they would learn not to repeat the same mistakes again which they have made in the past.
2. Discipline & Self-Confidence
Children should be involved in some of the other games in order to become disciplined. Every game or sport has its own set of rules & regulations. Physical training & exercise help to become disciplined.
Martial arts like judo- karate, taekwondo, etc. make kids well disciplined. Further, sports and games give them an opportunity to lead as well as to feel the team spirit. Thus, sports help to bring out and nurture the qualities of leadership among students.
3. Determination
Children learn how to get determined in their game while playing with other children. Sports improve the perseverance of kids. In order to win, a player should do hard work and keep patience while practicing that will help him to achieve success in life.
4. Competitiveness (Sense of Competition)
Playing games & sports increases a sense of competitiveness among the students. They learn how to compete with each other in order to win.
Striving hard to win in every field of life can be surely built with the competitiveness of sports. Willingness to give each & every effort, showing grace under pressure and an ability to accept defeat when losing to a better team or a player are good indications of the true competitive nature that a child can gain from playing sports.
5. Preparation for later life
To win in a game, careful planning with intense training is essential.
Every child is not good at studies but sports can give them a new way to show their talent. In the same way, it is very helpful for students who play sports as it increases chances of job opportunities in their later life.
Overall benefits of sports in Education
Sports also result in improvement of confidence, self-esteem for some students who are not strong in academics. It helps to strengthen their belief system that may result in improved academic performance.
Therefore, taking all these positive points into consideration, the schools should include a sports environment with proper facilities, dedicated & well-trained instructors who encourage students in pursuing sports. So, sports should be made a compulsory part of the school’s curriculum and an integral part of a child’s development.
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