Your backyard court isn’t just a convenient and fun way to stay in shape. Playing sports outside together can also help with family bonding. Here in Utah, family is very important. However, family bonding can be easier said than done when people have different personalities, interests, and views. Here is what you need to know about how playing sports outside can help with your family bonding mission. Let’s get into it.
#1. Unplug From Screens
Bear in mind here that we’re not saying that tech is the devil or anything like that. There’s nothing wrong with spending some time on social media, watching a favorite show or YouTube channel, or using screens for writing, art, or the like. Social media can be just that – social and fun.
However, more and more, social media is just used for seeing what other people are up to without actually talking to them at all. More and more, people find themselves aimlessly using their screens without any real purpose, then wishing they’d spend their time in a more productive, relaxing, or entertaining manner.
Playing sports outside allows you to do just that. By unplugging from screens, your family is able to spend unobstructed time together, actually talking face-to-face and living your real lives. This helps your family bond. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with taking pictures of your time together and sharing them, just be mindful of why you’re doing it – is it for appearance’s sake or because you genuinely want to share what you’re up to to help connect with those who couldn’t be there?
#2. Form Lasting Memories
How much will you remember of the time you spent scrolling on a device in the same room as your family members that were doing the same thing? Probably none of it. However, playing sports outside is a fantastic way to build family bonds and create lasting memories you can look back on for years to come.
The unfortunate truth is that it’s hard for people to be interested in the same thing at the same time, and this will only worsen as kids grow up. Getting up and getting your heart pumping and calories burning while laughing and enjoying each other’s company is a wonderful way to form memories together and build family bonds.
If you have family members who aren’t athletically inclined, they can still play referee or playfully tease players from the sidelines.
#3. Reconnect With Nature
When you’re playing sports outside, you’re reconnecting with the real world and fostering authentic moments. Now, more than ever before, people are cooped up inside. Being outside and connecting with nature while you bat a ball back and forth gives you the chance to recharge and remember to slow down and enjoy the world. Nature is calming, which can help people talk to each other.
Nature can also stimulate creativity and wonder. This can help with family bonding while you’re playing sports outside together by having children ask questions and pose play ideas, like what if you were playing pickleball but you’re elves, or something like that.
#4. Invest In Your Family’s Well-Being
There are all sorts of health benefits from spending time outside. Exposure to natural sunlight can help with all sorts of things, from your mood to your bone health, and more. Playing sports outside can improve cardiovascular health, strength, coordination, and more.
Beyond the obvious of how playing sports together helps all of your physical health, it can also help with emotional and mental health. Physical activity is shown to stimulate chemicals that improve emotional well-being.
Playing sports outside as a family teaches people new physical skills, which can improve overall confidence and quality of life. It helps children learn how to cope with highs and lows, like when they win a match versus when they lose, when it’s easy to pick something up and when they need to persevere in order to improve. This teaches them how to deal with disappointment, as well as patience, maturity, being a good sport, and more.
Playing sports as a family gives your children the chance to learn how to compete, cooperate, communicate, and work as a team. Naturally, this helps with family bonding. Playing sports together helps kids learn how to control their emotions, which are skills used in all areas of life. It also teaches discipline, as if you’re going to play by the rules, such rules must be adhered to.
The Many Benefits Of Playing Sports Outside Together
These are but a few of the ways in which playing sports outside can help with family bonding. From parenting to siblings learning to work together to creating lasting memories, there are so many benefits to this.
If you want to make playing sports outside as a family easier for you, contact Utah Court Surfacing. In addition to commercial courts, we can install backyard courts, such as pickleball courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, and more. Plus, we do surfacing and resurfacing so that your court looks just the way you want it to.
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