Team sports help kids' mental health, too

Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Team sports help kids' mental health, too
Team sports help kids' mental health, too. Rick Williams hs more on Action News at 5 p.m. on August 13, 2019.

Some food for thought for parents, as they get ready for the school year.

A recent study shows that playing team sports doesn't just benefit kids physically, it helps their mental health.

After looking at data on 10-thousand children, researchers noted that those taking part on teams or in group activities had less depression, and weathered future adverse events better.

The sports help kids learn how to lead, how to negotiate, and give them better social skills overall.

"Having your kids in social activities - structured social activities that they can learn appropriately and they can be safe, but activities that help build persistence, and resilience, are very positive influences later on in life," says Dr. Joe Austerman of Cleveland Clinic Children's hospital.

Dr. Austerman says most kids will never be pros at their sports, but they will need these other skills to be successful adults