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Sports such as tennis, track, and golf are terrific and can teach kids a great deal about accountability. When a player faces an opponent in tennis, there is no one to count on but one’s self. Win or lose the match rests solely on the child’s individual performance. Team sports however teach life lessons that will be valuable in the classroom, the ball field, and the employment world once school finishes and the career starts.

A team sport such as baseball gets kids to learn teamwork skills. The shortstop needs the first baseman to make a catch when he throws her the ball. The pitcher needs that shortstop to field the ball, make a good throw, and for the first baseman to catch it. The eight other fielders playing behind the pitcher are all depending on the pitcher to throw the ball well and make their job as easy as possible. Baseball is a game of repeated failure even for the greatest of players. This means your child will inevitably learn life lessons such as not winning a game even though they may have played well. Your child will learn to encourage those teammates who have failed and be encouraged by teammates when they fail athletically themselves.

Basketball is also a great team sport to teach teamwork and fair play. It is difficult to succeed on a basketball court unless players are sharing the ball and finding the open player. The failure of one player often leads to the loss for a whole team and children can learn exceptional life lessons from being part of a loss while they may have performed to expectations.