At the end of the school year, schedules often wind down as parents and children, grateful for a reprieve, look forward to a break from school and daily activities.

Lighter schedules, however, can also be a great opportunity to connect your daughter with a first (or a new!) sport.

Why should you consider a sport?

The evidence is broad, but all supports that playing organized sports results in many benefits for girls. Many studies have shown benefits for girls in physical and mental health, body image, social connection, academic performance, and later career success.

Physical and Mental Health: Girls who play sports have lower rates of anxiety and depression. Girls’ well-being is highest when they have a say in the sport they play and the option to try different sports. Playing sports is also associated with better overall physical health with benefits lasting into adulthood.

Body Image and Confidence: Playing sports is linked with better body image and higher self-image throughout childhood and adolescence. Some studies have found girls who play sports focus less on how they look and feel more comfortable in their bodies. Sports give girls opportunities to set goals unrelated to their appearance and build confidence in what they can do.

Social Connection: Sports offer girls a positive space to connect with peers. Girls who play sports report more quality peer relationships compared to girls who do not play sports. Positive peer relationships are crucial and promote overall health. Additionally, girls who play sports are less likely to have negative peer influences to engage in unhealthy behaviors like smoking and drinking.

Academic Performance: Girls who play sports have better grades and are more likely to graduate high school. Sports help teach girls mental toughness, which helps them achieve a variety of goals. Also, when girls feel more confident, they do better in multiple areas of life, including at school.

Later Career Success: Sports offer girls opportunities to learn valuable lessons, such as teamwork and leadership. In one survey of adult women who played sports, 69 percent had a leadership role in their current job. Another poll found 90 percent of female executives played sports as girls.

These benefits come with a few points to consider.

First, the focus of the team makes a big difference. Girls benefit from teams with a focus on learning, skill development, and team connection. Teams that focus on winning as the primary outcome or focus solely on “being better than” other players, do not benefit girls’ mental health.

Next, younger girls also benefit more from “sports sampling,” or playing at least two different sports, compared to “sports specialization,” or playing only one sport all year.

A third point to consider is the importance of a positive and supportive coach relationship. Coaching and a positive relationship with the coach are instrumental in allowing girls to reap the benefits of sports participation.

Finally, girls who have a long-term involvement (five-plus years) in a sport have more benefits than those who play for a shorter amount of time.

Organized sports with a focus on team building and skill development are an amazing opportunity for girls to build strong and resilient physical and mental health functioning and develop skills that can carry them far beyond the playing field.

Sources: Women’s Sports Foundation Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Legal Aid at Work