In a majority of the country’s 260 million households and 1.60 million schools, sports is a distant runner-up to academics. If ever there is a conflict between school, tuition, homework, exams, etc and a sports class/practice session, nine out of ten times Indian parents will choose the former. For most parents, sports is a secondary dispensable activity, not integral to education. Its perceived benefits are limited to improving children’s health and fitness. Although two centuries ago the Duke of Wellington insightfully remarked that the make-or-break Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, only a small minority of Indian households believe sports education contributes to children’s academic, socio-emotional and character development.
But the times they are a-changing. Numerous research-backed studies have emerged in the new millennium to validate the beneficial impact of sports participation and education upon children. These studies, some of which are detailed in our cover story, confirm that playing formal sports and games invests children with valuable life skills and develops resilience, teamwork and leadership capabilities. In ParentsWorld, we believe sports is an integral component of education and fully subscribe to the power of sports to develop children’s cognitive, social and emotional skills. That’s why in our affiliated publication’s EducationWorld India School Rankings (estb. 2007), every school’s reputation under the parameter of sports education is given equal weightage with other parameters of school education excellence.
In our cover story this month, we again highlight the important role formal/organized sports play in children’s personality and character development. The story presents compelling evidence drawn from athletes, psychologists and sports evangelists on the huge beneficial impact of children’s participation in formal sports and games. With young cricketers barely out of their teens signing multi-million rupee contracts to play in the Indian Premier League, it would be foolish to underestimate the value of sports education.
As usual, there’s other rich fare in this year-end issue of PW. In our Early Childhood section, Raghav Himarsingka, inventor of the Prodigy Baby app, shares ten activities to unlock your infant’s genius potential and in our Special Essay, Oxford University researcher Rebecca Brown advises parents to think twice before telling white lies to children. Also check out our Middle Years story on the importance of parents teaching children to appreciate cultural diversity and Ask the Doctor column in which pediatrician Dr. Saurabh Khanna shares ways and means to teach children life-saving hygiene practices.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
