Hello, my name is Đặng Châu Anh, but you can call me Cherry. I will be 9 on the 1st of November. I live in Dong Ha City, Quang Tri province, which is located in the middle of Vietnam. I am a student of Nguyễn Bá Ngọc Primary School and have just finished grade 3. My favorite subjects are English and Social Science. My hobbies are swimming, playing badminton and reading books.

Today, I would like to share my thoughts about the benefits of playing sports for children. 

Which sports am I talking about? Well, football, basketball, volleyball, swimming, badminton, ping pong, cycling... The list goes on and on considering the different sports and activities children get involved in through school and society. In my opinion, all sports can bring physical, emotional, social, and mental benefits to youngsters.

To begin with, participating in sports enables children to stay physically active and improve their health. When playing sports, they are required to move around and make use of every body part, every muscle, and every blood tissue, consequently improving stamina and strength. Moreover, according to most research, sports help kids reduce the risks of illnesses. For example, badminton requires movements and flexibility which will make players’ heart pump and burn about 300 calories per hour, therefore helping to prevent overweight and obesity.

Next, sports have positive emotional and social impacts on young generations. They will learn valuable lessons from winning and losing as well as making decisions or tactics, which all contribute to their skill enhancement. On top of that, as playing sports means regularly interacting with other individuals through cooperation and competition, youngsters will be able to widen their social circles with new friends and practice essential soft skills.

Last but not least, sports are crucial for children’s mental development.  Having a balanced lifestyle that includes both academic and extracurricular activities, specifically sports, will assist kids in improving their mood and keeping them happy and stress-free. Furthermore, playing sports results in an increased attention span and faster reflexes, thus are also beneficial to their academic learning process in particular and their everyday life in general. 

To sum up, sports offer children a great chance to learn new things and advance themselves physically, emotionally, socially, and mentally. Thus, I think every child should take up a sport of their preference in a fun and productive manner. 

Thanks for your listening.