Teach the children a sport this summer

Children at the ice skate rink in Zayed Sports City. Silvia Razgova / The National

With most schools closed or preparing to close for their annual summer breaks, a common concern for parents this time of the year is how to keep their children engaged.

The path of least resistance for many is often to allow the iPad to slip into young hands, letting the children binge for hours on cartoons, video games and box set shows, but parents in the UAE do have many other, better options.

Sport, for one, is a great way to keep youngsters busy in a productive and wholesome way. Unlike looking at a screen, playing an actual game on a court can be vastly rewarding in the long term, not least of all in terms of fitness – this being true as much for adults as children. Numerous reputable studies link physical fitness to long-term health and positive effects on the brain.

Worldwide, however, there is too large a gap between the benefits of physical activity and how so few adolescents are getting enough exercise.

In 2019, the World Health Organisation found that more than 80 per cent of school children around the world were "inactive". The extensive survey of 1.6 million participants showed that the majority did not meet the current 60-minute recommendation for “moderate-to-vigorous” daily physical activity. In the UAE, the survey found that just 18 per cent of 11 to 17-year-olds get adequate exercise.

Nor has this largely global trend of inactivity been made any better during the peak of the pandemic.

Given that parents will often be at their wits' end to find a means to channel their children's abundant energy, the many sports facilities on offer – for free – at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre is one of the best options for parents and children in the capital.

Other emirates, too, have plenty of sporting facilities for children on summer break and parents would do well to introduce their children to these arenas. In many such facilities, all that is needed is a green status on the Al Hosn app, clearing you of Covid-19.

Much like inculcating the habit of reading in children in their early years, introducing them to sports early sets them up for life. Parents improve the chances of their children growing up well-rounded when as a matter of routine, they ensure time is carved out for athletic pursuits. Apart from the fitness aspect, playing a sport has other advantages. It fosters social bonds and can teach several worthy life skills: the values of respect, patience, teamwork, the reward of practice, hard work and fair play, all of which tend to come in handy in later years.

More families could think in this direction, encouraging girls and boys to kick a football or throw a basketball around, or learn to swim, or swing a racquet – and importantly, to stick with it so they can experience the satisfaction of their stamina or technique improving. Added to which, it would be a boon for the country and the region at large, as this would would keep lifestyle diseases such as obesity in check.

Once young people start enjoying a sport, they no longer have to be goaded to exercise and a worthy battle is won. Sporting experiences can be solid building blocks for people of all ages. While it is never too late to start, there is wisdom in the old tenet of catching them young.

For parents in the UAE who want their children to be busy in summer, taking advantage of the country's many top-of-the-line facilities should be a first stop. Nudging children in the direction of sports has countless benefits. Vouching for an athletic way of life, the Japanese writer and fitness enthusiast Haruki Murakami wrote in his book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: "This is a part of my day I can't do without.” In a digital age, societies can do with more young people thinking like Murakami about exercise and sport. The benefits will follow.