Top 5 Benefits for Children Who Play Cricket
23 July 2023
There are many good reasons for children to learn to play cricket, it can help them to work better with others as well as improve their hand-eye coordination. General fitness is also a consideration. We have listed the top five benefits for children who play cricket below.
Fitness
Cricket is a great way to increase physical fitness levels for young people at a time when so many are focused on playing video games indoors. This is a brilliant way to entice them from their bedrooms in the summer months to take part in some vigorous exercise.
Anything that can persuade more young people to take up a sport is great and cricket is one of the most played sports in the UK today.
Hand-Eye Coordination
Whether they are batting, the wicket-keeper or playing outfield, they will improve their hand-eye coordination by playing cricket. The ability to track the speed and movement of the ball and compensate for that to either hit or catch it is something that will only improve through practice.
It may not be something that comes naturally to all children but they will get better at it the more they play.
Self-confidence
It is natural to feel a mounting sense of self-confidence when you achieve something and there can be many achievements within a game of cricket. Whether batting or catching, the children will learn the adrenaline rush that comes with a great piece of play. They will grow in confidence the better that they do at the game, and they will also probably want to play more often, which will help them with their healthy activity levels as well.
Teamwork
Learning to work as part of a team is a skill that is necessary for all manner of walks of life and being able to foster it at a young age through a competitive sport such as cricket will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives. The ability to work as part of a team and to understand their place as a cog in a bigger machine, all working together will really help when they enter the workplace. They will understand that how they perform has an effect on the others around them and this is a very valuable thing to learn at a really young age.
Social skills
Similarly to teamwork, social skills also tend to improve when people play competitive sports such as cricket. They tend to make friends with those on their team and bond with each other through their shared play and endeavours.
Playing with a team often leads to socialising with the same people when not playing the team sport, so a team can be seen as a pool of potential friends for your child. It is important, particularly after the pandemic, to give them every chance to develop their social skills, as a lot of people feel that their children missed out on a lot of important socialisation during the lockdowns.