ATL

The power of sport

Sport brings children so much more than physical benefits, says swimmer and Sports Relief ambassador Karen Pickering

I love sport and I believe it should be an integral part of every child's life. Not everyone will excel at sport, but there are ways for everyone to enjoy it. If a child doesn't make the school 'A' team, for example, it doesn't mean sport isn't for them — there are plenty of other sports, activities and pastimes they can enjoy if they are introduced to them. For those who do make the 'A' team, it is an opportunity to learn to win and lose in a gracious manner through their sport. Sometimes it can be hard to get children and young people enthusiastic about sport in school, but I do believe it is possible, and the benefits can stretch far beyond the physical health aspects.

Sport can foster a sense of community and teamwork, and can overcome all sorts of boundaries such as language, race and class. At its best, it can break down political, social and cultural barriers. No matter what your skill level, learning to work as part of a team is an incredibly important and useful life skill. Sport encourages and teaches children to work with others towards shared goals and to work cooperatively. By making sport fun, enjoyable and relevant to every pupil, you can enable them to reap the benefits of healthy activity and sport for the rest of their lives.

Comic Relief, the charity famed for encouraging the nation to do something funny for money for Red Nose Day, came up with the idea of Sport Relief back in 2002, with the idea that you can get active, raise cash and change lives. The emphasis is on inclusiveness and fun — you don't have to be the best, but by taking part, having fun and raising money, you're making an amazing difference to people living incredibly tough lives, both at home in the UK and across the world's poorest countries.

By connecting sport with a real world impact, children can see the positive effects their efforts are having on people all over the UK and around the world.

Many schools have had a great time raising money for Sport Relief, whether they have held a fancy dress mile, conducted a Mexican wave with the entire school or organised a dance-off. The key element is that every pupil and teacher who takes part is brought together by the power of sport, is encouraged to be more active, and gets to have fun at the same time.

Sport Relief, which will be held in schools on Friday 23 March 2012, offers free packs with loads of amazing resources to help you do it — you can sign up for it on their website. With one incredible year of sport just around the corner, now is just the right time to get your children active for a good cause.

Sport Relief 2012 is on Friday 23 March. You can sign up for a free Schools Fundraising Resource Pack, which includes stickers, balloons, posters and a CD-ROM with films about the children you help with your fundraising. You can also download classroom resources, including assemblies and quality lesson ideas. To get your school involved go to www.sportrelief.com/schools.

Karen Pickering MBE is Britain's most successful female swimmer and founder of Karen Pickering SWIM, schools that encourage the next generation of youngsters to take part in swimming

Illustration (c) Phil Wrigglesworth