Disclosure: I have partnered with YMC and Danone and have received compensation for this post. All opinions in the post are my own.

In our house, spring is sports season. And it’s a time we take pretty seriously! In fact, three out of every five weekdays are spent either on the soccer field or the baseball diamond, with practices and tournaments in between as well! While it can sometimes be hard to get kids interested in a team sport, finding one that suits them really is worth the effort. Not only is it a great way to ensure kids stay active, it provides so many other benefits beyond physical activity. These are just a few of the life skills I’ve seen my boys develop since they started playing team sports:

Cooperation

One of the best things about team sports is that no matter which one a child chooses, the sport will have different positions that play different essential roles in the game. My baseball-playing oldest is usually on second base, a position that suits him well since he has a strong arm and good base skills. But that same strong arm means he’s often also put in the outfield, a position any baseball fan knows isn’t always the most exciting. That’s the thing about a team sport, though. The player in right field is just as essential to the game as the pitcher, and just as likely to win a game with a great catch. [Read more…]