How does competitive sport affect a child’s development?

Participating in competitive sport as a child has multiple different advantages and disadvantages to it. Most of us are enrolled in ballet classes, football clubs and many more as children. The aspiration from our parents is that in doing this we will find ‘our thing’ and will be provided with an outlet through the means of sport from a young age. In most cases, this is a good thing; it gives young children the skills to cooperate, to be less selfish, and to listen to other children. These skills can have detrimental effects on a child’s future development, however amongst these positives, we are also faced with some negatives around this too.

Playing in a competitive sports team can help children’s social skills massively. It helps them to develop skills they will need to form close bonds and relationships and these are skills that they will use throughout their entire life. Being in a sports team gives a child a sense of belonging, and helps them learn to follow instructions whilst keeping them engaged. A child who plays a competitive sport from a young age is able to work collaboratively with a team or coach and develop techniques like being able to take criticism, something that many young children who don’t play a competitive sport struggle with. Another positive aspect of playing a competitive sport is the work ethic a child must adopt: sports require effort and commitment, and if a child is learning these skills from a young age, they are better equipped for other aspects of their lives that will require commitment, such as homework, other hobbies and relationships.

Body image issues are something that are prevalent in today’s society. Studies from the mental health foundation survey have shown that 46% of girls and 25% of boys said their body image caused them to worry. However, other studies have proven to us that doing a competitive sport almost always have positive impacts on a child’s body image. Sports are proven to improve self-determination and self-esteem. Competitive sports that a child is incredibly passionate about help shift the focus from body image issues to their drive for the sport and their end goal, helping personal acceptance. Nevertheless, this is not always the case; body image issues in athletes can still occur, and as children grow up and are affected by puberty in different ways, the competitive nature of comparing your team mates or opponents to yourself grows. The changes that a child’s body goes though can make them grow self-conscious and feel judged, causing them to compare themselves to others that do their sport, who may look different to they do. The competitive nature of sport is not always on the court, field or pitch, and is often carried on outside as well, leaving many children unhappy and desperate to change the way they look, with the belief that it will improve their performance in the sport. So, competitive sports can do both good things and bad things to the body image of a child.

A competitive sport involves a lot of time, commitment and money. As a child, you are not fully equipped to make all of this happen for yourself, so the dependency on parents or carers to aid this is a big part of the child’s future in the sport. This can subsequently cause strained relationships with parents, whether that be because they are pushing the child beyond their ability and enthusiasm or the other way round, meaning the parent is not willing or able to make all of this happen for their child. This factor can put an overall stress on families as a whole, which amounts to an unhealthy family environment and puts pressure on both parties. As a result, the child’s school results may deteriorate, their friendships cast aside and amounts of free time lessened due to the intense stress that the competitive sport is causing. This may lead to a child becoming overly competitive and have very one sided views on things.

Will we ever truly be able to say whether the competitive nature of sports is healthy for a child’s development? The social skills a child builds are critical parts of how a child forms future relationships, and the positive impact that sports have on some children can actually be life-changing. In a world where we are so engrossed in what is happening on screens in front of us, seeing children immerse themselves in a sport can be refreshing. Nevertheless, the highly competitive and stressful nature of sports can cause strained relationships with overly invested parents or equally under invested parents and the amounts of pressure they are under can hurt not only the child’s performance in the sport, but also their academic and social development, which is ultimately shaping their futures.

Ellie Hattam