Let Them Play: The Surprising Link Between Sport, Learning, and Family Wellbeing

Excited and waiting for training to start: Hoop Club Pinehurst

For many parents and educators, sport and study are often seen as being at odds.

Theres a common worry: will time spent at training and games take away from homework, focus or academic success? But research suggests a more encouraging story. When well supported (and structured), team sports not only complement learning, they actively improve it.

What Parents are Seeing First-Hand

A study by Doum and AL-Momani (et al. 2024) surveyed 57 parents of children participating in regular sports. The majority (over 78%) noticed a clear improvement in their child's motivation to study and ability to manage time after joining a structured sports program. Even more significantly, 92% said that sport helped them connect with their child in more meaningful ways - leading to open conversations about school, friendships, values, and personal growth.

Rather than competing with academics, sport became a bridge. Children developed emotional resilience, self-discipline, and confidence - qualities that carried over into classroom performance and home life. Team sports, in paticular, encouraged cooperation, accountability, and laerning to navigate both victory and failure with maturity.

A little dead-mans stretch after a long training: BASE Hutt Valley

What Long-Term Research Shows

These insights are echoed in a large-scale longitudinal study from Australia, Sport Participation for Academic Success (Owen et al., 2023), which track over 4,000 children across 12 years. The finding were clear: Children who consistently played sports - especially team sports - had better focus, stronger executive functioning, fewer unexplained school absences, and higher standardized test scores.

Interestingly, different types of sports supported different academic strengths. Team sports were linked to improved attention, memory and a stronger sense of school engagement. Individual sports were more strongly associated with improved literacy scores and higher performance in final exams. Both pathways supported success, but in distinct ways.

This supports a clear message: maintaining or introducing sport - particularly in structured, developmentally appropriate ways - isn't just a "nice-to-have". Its evidence-based way to support holistic student achievement.

A Cultural Lens: What this Means in Aotearoa

In cultures where academic achievement is seen as a top priority, sport can be viewed as a potential distraction. In others, sport is central to identity, confidence, and cultural identity. Aotearoa is a country where many cultures and worldviews co-exist, both perspectives are valid - and both need to be understood.

Recognising sport as a tool for connection, growth and learning - not just physical fitness - allows us to build environments where tamariki and rangatahi can thrive on multiple fronts. That means valuing parental engagement, culturally responsive coaching, and stronger school-club-family relationships.

Why Team Sports Deserve a Central Role in Learning and Whānau Life

Structured, well-run sport programs do more than build skills — they help raise resilient kids, spark stronger family bonds, and equip the next generation with the mindset to lead, adapt, and thrive. Skillset Sport’s programs are built around the idea of developing the whole person through the vehicle of sport — encouraging self-discipline, communication, and continual growth. These studies reinforce what we see every day: that sport not only builds better athletes, but better learners, listeners, and leaders — at school, at home, and in life.

If this sounds like a kind of program you'd like at your school feel free to contact us at skillsetbasketballnz@gmail.com or check if there's a program near you on our Classes page.