Are you searching for a new sport that would be perfect for your child to learn? If so, you may want to look into baseball, which is one of the most classic sports out there. Baseball features all kinds of benefits and pros for your child’s physical and mental wellbeing, and depending on where you live, it can be played a good portion of the year.
So, what exactly makes this such a great sport for kids? Let’s take a look at the top six reasons to teach your child how to play.
Be Part of a Team
One of the biggest benefits of your child joining a baseball league is that they will get to be part of a team. Team sports encourage social skills, teach kids how to work together, and have that sense of being part of a bigger picture – looking outside of themselves. This can be especially important for younger kids who can often have a hard time looking past their own wants and behavior.
Make New Friends
Along with being part of a team, it gives kids the opportunity to build friendships that don’t just last during baseball season but can span well into their teenage and even adult years. It gives them a chance to branch out from the friend network they have at their school or through family friends.
Excellent Physical Activity
With screen time taking up so much of a kid’s life nowadays, it can be hard to fit in physical activity. Physical activity is important for kids of all ages as it helps to maintain a healthy body weight, increases their metabolism, builds and tones muscles, builds endurance, helps them get rid of excess energy in a productive and positive way, and it has a positive effect on their mental wellbeing.
Teach Them About Patience
Patience is one of those things that is extremely important to learn in life but isn’t always easy to pick up. Because baseball isn’t a ‘go, go, go’ type of sport; they will be forced to be patient.
When they are at bat, they need to be patient and wait for that perfect pitch, when they are on the bench, they need to be patient waiting for their turn, and when they are playing in the outfield, again, they have to show patience while waiting for any potential balls to land in their area. It is truly a sport that revolves around patience.
A Great Family Activity
Just as baseball gives kids a chance to bond with new friends, it can also be a great family activity in which mom and dad can also take part. You can head out to the backyard any time and work on their pitching, catching, or hitting.
You can even invest in some fun baseball equipment that will help them to better their skills. Take for example a pitcher’s pocket, which is perfect for your aspiring pitcher. These pitcher’s pockets are essentially a net that contains a number of pockets. The goal is to pitch to the exact pocket in order to improve aim.
Helps Them to Build Confidence
Then there is the fact that simply by learning a new skill and getting better at it over time, your child will be building their confidence. Confidence is something they will need throughout their life, so why not teach it at a young age?
It Doesn’t End There
This is just a small look at the many benefits of teaching your child to play baseball. It can also help to improve their concentration and focus, their science and math skills, gross motor skills, and more. It truly is a great sport for kids of all ages.
