Why children should play sport

For our youngest students we have LEAP activities and YAPP (Young Athletes of Phnom Penh) which offer non-competitive opportunities.

Southeast Asia Games and Primary Football teams are available for upper primary students which allow them to play competitive sport on a local and international scale.

For our older students we have four main competitive teams: swimming, basketball, football and volleyball. With so many opportunities available the question remains why do some of our students not play sports at Northbridge.  

When students were asked many said they wanted to play sports but were simply not allowed. The common reasons for why were: parents fear of injury, tutoring after school and focus on academics.

While these concerns are understandable the benefits of sport as a child or young adult far outreach just physical fitness.

Of course being healthy and active is the most obvious benefit but that is not all that there is to offer.

Students who participate in sport and other extracurricular activities gain an immense range of skills which are tough to teach and cannot be learned from studying.

Balance

When students make a commitment to sport they learn to balance their free time more effectively.

Practicing multiple days a week means homework and other important tasks must be better managed and prioritized.

This helps students learn to self regulate and to manage their schedules, a skill that will help them throughout life.

Many of our student athletes at Northbridge already achieve high academic results and balance busy sports schedules.

One Grade 10 student last year was able to play on two teams and still achieve a perfect 63/63 on the final semesters report card.

Resilience

Losing is a great lesson which sport is able to teach.

When defeated athletes must become resilient and bounce back, often this drives people to work harder to continue to improve.

However, losing is hard and processing the feelings of loss in a mature and respectable way is also something which sports demands.

Failure should not be feared in sports as it is from these experiences we grow and improve.

One Northbridge athlete described how sports helped her mentality both on and off the court: “Sports show you a different side of yourself and develop you into a better person.”

Success through Teamwork

Many of the Northbridge students when asked about their favorite part of sports explained the feeling of being good at something and winning.

Equally they mentioned the fact that when they play sports they get to meet people they don’t usually socialize with and those teammates generally turn into friends.

The feeling of belonging accompanied by success promotes students ability to collaborate and become good team members.

These skills are invaluable in life and can carry into adulthood as they will know how to work with others effectively and push themselves towards their goals.

These are just some of the many benefits that come from sport, but the list could go on.

In joining sports teams students are able to become more well rounded and pushed beyond the important things that are taught in school.

While academics should remain a high priority in their life, children have other opportunities at Northbridge to be successful in other areas they are passionate about.

We encourage all students interested in sports to try out for teams and stick with their passion as they move through school.