Parents should encourage their children to take a part in organised activities in their free time v.1

Many people opine that mother and father should enrol their kids in organised activities to improve their mental and physical health while others say that they should learn how to keep themselves busy on their own. In my opinion, both the option has its merits and demerits. It is undoubtedly true that engaging in organised group activities has many social, mental and psychological benefits. Firstly, children who participate in cricket, for example, receive opportunities to learn trust, determination, sportsmanship, self-discipline and the importance of working with teammates to achieve a common goal. Such skills help them to find success in their life as they grow. Secondly, engaging in organised sports gives them a healthy habit of physical activity. For instance, Sports like basketball or hockey forces participants to perform different body movements which help ward off age and weight-related ailment later in life. On the contrary, many experts believe that when children play alone, they are learning many valuable lessons which will help them throughout their lives. For example, playing alone prepare them to face problems without help and it develops a strong sense of independence. However, more time unsupervised also means there will be more ways in which they can heart themselves. Perhaps, they may spend their time behind unproductive activities, for example, playing games or watching TV. In a nutshell, spending adequate time behind organised group activities would indeed be more beneficial. However, it is better to prepare a child for whatever their days hold, a morning of solo play or an afternoon for organised sports as both has its benefits and drawbacks.