Future of Sports for Kids?

What is the future of Sports for Kids?

Is it never going to be the way it was when we grew : lush, green outfields. Lots of open space. Multiple games going around, kids making up rules as they go etc etc.

In India: It does seem like this is increasingly another of our so-called "glorious past"! Given the changing urban landscape, haphazard planning and lack of focus on kids, play spaces are disappearing.

But thats not the point of this post. Given the change, what does it mean for our kids - and what will the future be? Tempting to write: "Que sera sera" - but for all the reasons that most of us know (and some listed in earlier posts), it is important to pay attention to this.

If we assume space (or a lot of it) is not going to be easily available, do we let kids just stop playing? One way of measuring value of something is to imagine life without it! Are you ok with your kids not playing from this point onwards?
Most people vigorously reject the idea.
If that is true, and we dont have spaces, what do we do to ensure that kids still get the health and fitness - as well as the social skills that they learn *only* through mediums like sport. Not in their classroom.

Is it time to think through a radical redesign of apartment complexes - such that there are multiple configurable playspaces?

Is it time to design a "magic box" that converts your kids bedroom into an activity zone?

Or will the future be played in front of the television through Wii? Maybe.

Dont know the answer - but clearly, there is a problem to be solved - and hence an opportunity!

Where do the children play?

When we started SportzVillage back in 2003 - trying to get more kids to play, i had the good fortune of meeting a very evolved IAS officer. Someone who connected immediately on the need for kids to play - and said my conversation with him reminded him of a song by Cat Stevens: "Where do the children play?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjdVOfnYkyA

Well I think it's fine, building jumbo planes.
Or taking a ride on a cosmic train.
Switch on summer from a slot machine.
Yes, get what you want to if you want, 'cause you can get anything.
I know we've come a long way, We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Well you roll on roads over fresh green grass.
For your lorry loads pumping petrol gas.
And you make them long, and you make them tough.
But they just go on and on, and it seems that you can't get off.
Oh, I know we've come a long way, We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Well you've cracked the sky, scrapers fill the air.
But will you keep on building higher 'til there's no more room up there?
Will you make us laugh, will you make us cry?
Will you tell us when to live, will you tell us when to die?
I know we've come a long way, We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?
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Makes you think, doesn't it?

Does TV & videogames stop kids from playing?

Have heard this from a lot of parents and adults: Kids today dont play because they are watching TV and playing videogames all day! No wonder they are getting obese!

I believe the real reason is the other way round.

Kids want to play. Try throwing a ball at your kid and playing with him (really playing - not going through the motions!). See if he asks you for TV or a video game after that.

Kids are designed to play. Today's urban context has ruined the playing experience.
Traffic, restricted spaces, unreasonable neighbors, no playgrounds, ill-maintained lawns (the list goes on) has ruined the playing experience of our children. It is just not FUN to play as a kid any more.
As adults, we get ourselves expensive gym and club memberships - but will not spend the same amount of time, energy, money to make our kids experiences better.

Kids are therefore voting with their feet. They are going to the experiences that are definitely more fun. And TV and Videogames are definitely more fun than watching if you will get run-over by a car all the time while you are playing.

So, lets improve our kids' playing experiences - and you will find they are not watching TV anymore!

Sports Education

So, what is Sports Education?

Education about Sports? Teaching kids about the various sports and their rules?
or is it really about ensuring that kids stay healthy and fit for life through the magic of sport. The magic that helps kids deal with the challenges of growing up as well as adult life. In case you have forgotten, childhood was not all that rosy as we like to believe. It was tough - dealing with the school bully, peer pressure, exam stress; not to mention the age when girls came into the picture, performance on the sports field, wanting to be part of the "cool" gang in school etc.

Sports helps kids in many ways.

At a very basic, functional level, it helps kids stay healthy & fit.
At a softer skill level, it helps kids learn about how to lose well, how to win well, how to set goals, how to show a vision, how to be part of a team etc - stuff that no classroom teaches. Stuff that really helps when you grow up. Ask a bunch of leaders in society or in business - and you will find out that the stuff that really got them to where they are today was definitely not their degrees.

As adults, we have failed in providing our kids something very simple : A place to play.

Kids need a combination of structured play (that ensures they learn the right skills at the right age) and unstructured play (where kids make their own rules, learn to resolve disputes, work with constraints etc)

Sports Education can help by ensuring that our schools deliver a physical education and sports program that atleast takes care of the structured play bit.