Discover National Sports Day: Significance and Benefits
In all probability, you know the dates on the calendar pertaining to our Independence Day and Republic Day
Do you know when National Sports Day is celebrated?
If you don’t know the answer, it’s perfectly all right!
There are plenty of people out there, who are in the same boat as you.
Moreover, what truly matters is understanding the significance of that day.
In India, we celebrate National Sports Day on 29th August. This date is special, because it commemorates the birth anniversary of hockey legend, Major Dhyan Chand.
National Sports Day is a day dedicated to our country’s sporting heroes, who have honored our country by bringing it laurels. What makes this day so special, you might ask? Let’s take a look.
The Significance of National Sports Day
If we wish to know more about National Sports Day, we have to go beyond merely asking the question, ‘When is National Sports Day celebrated?’
The primary objective behind observing National Sports Day, is to encourage participation in Sports Activities amongst the youth of our country. It is only fitting that the date it falls on, be the same as the birthday of India’s greatest hockey player, Dhyan Chand.
Each year on this day, a National Sports Awards Ceremony is performed. Here you will find athletes, individuals and teams, being presented with rewards for their contributions to sports.
National Sports Day is also celebrated to recognize the importance of Sports and Physical Activity in our day-to-day lives. It was back in the year 2012, that the Rashtriya Khel Diwas (the Hindi name for National Sports Day) was added to the list of the days we should be celebrating. After all, India has produced numerous sporting legends like PT Usha and Sachin Tendulkar. Having a day in honor of such sporting gems, is certainly warranted.
The Benefits of Team Sports for Children
Now that you know plenty about National Sports Day, it only becomes natural to encourage your kids to play Team Sports.
Here’s a list of all the benefits of Team Sports for children.
After perusing this list, the importance of National Sports Day will be firmly ensconced in your mind. You will have a ready answer, whenever someone asks you the question, ‘When is National Sports Day?’
Happier Kids
At a scientific level, exercise makes kids happy. This is because when we exercise, our bodies release feel-good chemicals called endorphins. This sees happier and more relaxed kids, every time they finish training or playing a game.
Enhanced Self-Esteem
When kids can see the tangible results that stem from their contributions towards a team’s success, it does wonders for their self-esteem. Even the least bit of recognition from a coach or teammate, goes a long way in boosting their confidence.
Nurturing Relationships
All that camaraderie on the sidelines between parents, children and their teammates, makes for a great bonding experience. There is the collective will to succeed, and the high level of trust shows both on the playing field, and off it.
Learning the Art of Collaboration
Needless to say, every team member has their own weaknesses and strengths. When they are part of a team, children must learn to work with the different traits present in the other members of the team. This also helps them to adapt their own playing style, to work in tandem with their team members.
Teaching Responsibility
If your child is part of a team, it is likely that they will be assigned a particular responsibility. One that is different from what other team members are doing. This bolsters their sense of responsibility, which will help them in other areas of their lives. Like doing homework!
Time Management
As children grow older, they find themselves responsible for plenty of duties, apart from showing up without fail to practice. This is where their inherent sense of punctuality for Training and Game Day, will help. It will only serve to get them better prepared for the increasing time demands they will have to face in the future.
Sharpens Critical Thinking Skills
At every stage of our lives, we find ourselves in situations where we have to make quick decisions to solve problems. Here’s where players of Sports have an advantage. After all, they have to be quick and calculative where it comes to making effective decisions in high pressure situations. Like shooting a basket or passing to a teammate.
Teaching the lesson ‘Life is not Fair’
This is by far one of the hardest lessons every child will learn one day, but perhaps the most important of them all. The goal here is teaching children that every time life is unfair to you, the next moment is always an opportunity to bounce back. For instance, if an umpire calls a penalty when there shouldn’t have been one, never mind. What matters is to accept it and move on quickly.
Cultivating Great Friendships
Children who play Sports spend a good deal of time with other teammates. Time that is spent practicing and even carpooling, while striving for a common goal. There are good chances that in doing so, they will make new friends. That trust they build with one another as the sporting season progresses, leads to more meaningful bonds.
Muscle-Building
All that intensive exercise that children indulge in while playing a team sport, makes for a great workout. Further, they train different muscles in your child’s body, that will help keep their bodies in better overall shape.
Lifelong Memories
All those sporting victories and even losses, ensure that those sporting field memories stay with children forever. Simply the chance to be in a sporting team and experience its physical, social and emotional benefits, is a gift that should be experienced by every child.
At EuroKids we believe that National Sports Day in India, is one of our country’s special days we must all celebrate with gusto. Apart from honoring our country’s decorated sportspersons, it teaches us the supreme importance of being fit and healthy.
