In the current era we live in, the pace of life is accelerating and daily challenges are increasing. Many students now face challenges due to their struggles with attention deficit during study periods. Attention deficit disorder is considered one of the common disorders that affect students’ ability to concentrate. In this context, the importance of research and development in methods that help improve students’ concentration and enhance their academic and personal performance becomes evident. Sports activities are one of the important tools that can help improve students’ concentration, in addition to achieving mental and physical health benefits. Sports are not just a means to achieve physical fitness, but they also have a profound impact on brain function and human ability to concentrate and focus.

The effect of sports activities on students’ concentration

Many scientific studies have shown that engaging in sports activities helps improve brain function and enhances attention and concentration.

The effectiveness of sports:

• Physical exercise is considered one of the factors that increase the release of brain hormones such as dopamine and norepinephrine, which contribute to enhancing attention and improving mood.

• Sports activities help improve blood flow to the brain, enhancing cognitive functions such as focus and attention.

• Sports are also a means of expending excess energy for students with attention deficit, which helps improve students’ concentration and calm them better during study periods.

The holistic impact of sports:

• The effect of sports activities on students with attention deficit is remarkable, as engaging in these activities is a crucial part of a comprehensive treatment plan for this disorder.

• By integrating physical activity into their daily routine, students can benefit from improved focus and attention, thereby achieving greater success in academic classes and in their personal lives overall.

• The social aspect of sports activities also has a positive effect on students with attention deficit. Participation in sports activities can help in enhancing self-confidence among students and improving their social skills, leading to better interaction with others and an increased sense of belonging. This can help students deal better with challenges they may face in the academic environment in particular.

The benefits of sports activities for students with attention deficit

The direct benefits of sports activities on students with attention deficit disorder subsequently lead to long-term effects that may be important for improving their quality of life.

Skills derived from sports:

• Sports activities can serve as a means to learn time management and organization skills, as students learn to allocate time for regular exercise, which positively impacts their academic performance and daily lives.

• When a student allocates part of their daily time for sports, such as running in the early morning or exercising after the school day, they learn how to organize their schedule and prioritize tasks. Consequently, they develop better skills in time management and organization, which positively affects their academic performance and ability to complete tasks on time without procrastination, thereby positively impacting their overall quality of life.

• Over time, sports can become a means to enhance self-motivation and self-discipline, fundamentally improve students’ concentration. Continuous practice and dedication required in sports reflect positively on their ability to work hard and endure facing difficult challenges.

• If a student engages in long-term athletic challenges, such as training for a marathon, initially they may struggle to adhere to the increasing training schedule and demanding physical requirements. However, with time, dedication to training, and perseverance, they gradually notice improvement in their performance and physical strength. The student finds themselves acquiring strong internal motivation to continue training and achieve their goals. Their self-discipline noticeably grows as they learn to control themselves and overcome obstacles and challenges on the path to achieving their goals. Consequently, this strong self-motivation and self-discipline reflect on their ability to concentrate and work diligently during studies, equipped with the mental strength and determination needed to overcome tough challenges in the academic journey.

Diversity of sports and their impact:

• Sports activities are diverse and suitable for the different needs and preferences of students. Some students may find interest in team sports such as football or basketball, while others may prefer individual activities like swimming or cycling.

• A student who finds passion in playing basketball may enjoy the team spirit, collaborating with teammates to achieve victories, feeling excitement and enthusiasm during games, and benefiting from social integration and learning from peers’ experiences. Conversely, another student may prefer engaging in swimming as an individual activity, finding peace and tranquility in the water, which helps them focus and relax. They can set personal goals and work towards achieving them independently, enhancing self-motivation and striving for continuous improvement. This illustrates how sports activities can cater to the diverse requirements and preferences of students, leading to improve students’ concentration, and providing them with the opportunity to enjoy an activity that aligns with their personality, bringing them satisfaction and personal development.

• Sports activities offer an opportunity to enhance communication among students, coaches, and supervisors, which can contribute to building positive and supportive relationships, enhancing self-confidence among students, as well as their sense of belonging, which is greatly needed by those suffering from attention deficit.

• When students participate in a sports training session, such as a school football team, it provides them with an opportunity to interact and engage with each other and with coaches. Students come together in regular practices and matches, where they share experiences and learn new techniques and strategies from each other. In this positive social environment, bonds are formed between students and coaches, fostering friendly and supportive relationships. Students have a safe space to express themselves and exchange opinions and ideas, which enhances their self-confidence and team spirit. This positive interaction can be particularly beneficial for students with attention deficit, as they find a supportive and motivating environment to improve their social skills and build self-confidence.

Sports alongside therapy:

• Sports activities are not a substitute for the medical treatment that students with attention deficit disorder may need, but they are considered a valuable and effective addition to improving their quality of life and helping them achieve their full potential in academic and personal life.

• When a student with attention deficit disorder receives medical treatment, they may also be directed to engage in sports activities as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. For example, the treating physician may recommend regular exercise such as brisk walking or swimming, alongside medication or therapy sessions. Thus, sports activities are a valuable addition to medical treatment, as they help improve physical, mental, and emotional health.

• Sports activities contribute to strengthening the body, increase energy levels, improve students’ concentration and mood, enhancing motivation, and positivity. Furthermore, sports activities provide students with an opportunity to release stress and relax, reducing levels of stress and anxiety associated with the disorder. It is evident that sports activities are not a substitute for medical treatment, but they are an important complement to it, contributing to improving the quality of life for students with attention deficit disorder and helping them achieve their full potential in academic and personal life.

Sports and focus in the journey of academic success

Considering the multiple benefits of sports activities on the focus of students with attention deficit, there are suggestions for some practical steps to encourage these students to engage in physical activity regularly.

Encouraging Family Participation:

• As parents, it is preferable to engage in sports with your children to encourage them, whether through exercising at home or by joining sports clubs outside of school.

• You can take a family walk as a form of exercise together. This type of family interaction contributes to building strong family relationships and promoting physical and mental health for all family members.

Providing Guidance and Support:

• Teachers and coaches should provide guidance and support for students with attention deficit to help them choose suitable sports activities and motivate them to continue practicing.

• The mature approach of teachers and coaches in guiding and discussing a variety of sports options with students, assisting them in identifying activities that suit their abilities and interests, along with providing moral support and praising students’ efforts, plays a significant role in encouraging these students to continue engaging in physical activity by providing them with the necessary assistance and resources.

Providing a Suitable Environment for Physical Activity:

• If you are a parent and your child is struggling with attention deficit, you should ensure that the environment around them is conducive to sports. This environment may include open spaces for play, fitness facilities, and appropriate sports equipment.

Encouraging General Healthy Habits:

• Students should be encouraged to adopt general healthy habits, including a balanced diet and adequate sleep, which can enhance their ability to focus and pay attention.

Encouraging Competitions and Mental Games:

• Elements of relaxation and focus can be incorporated into sports activities, such as meditation exercises, which help calm the mind and improve students’ concentration.

Mental Health Care:

• Teachers in schools should be sensitive to the mental and emotional needs of students, and provide necessary support and guidance specifically for students with attention deficit disorder.

Providing Integrated Educational Programs:

• Sports activities can be integrated into comprehensive educational programs aimed to improve students’ concentration and develop their self-management and organizational skills.

The role of sports activities in enhancing self-confidence among students

Self-confidence is considered one of the most important qualities that can significantly impact an individual’s life, especially in youth and childhood. In a world filled with challenges and pressures, psychological support and personal development play a crucial role in shaping an individual’s character and enhancing their positive thinking and ability to face challenges. This is where sports activities come in as an effective means to boost self-confidence in students, through several different aspects.

Achieving accomplishments and personal progress:

• When engaging in sports, students are exposed to repeated opportunities for achieving accomplishments and personal progress. Whether it’s through improving their physical skills or accomplishing new athletic goals, each success contributes to building self-confidence and enhancing feelings of pride and positivity.

• Students can improve their athletic skills such as fitness, strength, and flexibility, which enhances feelings of competence and independence. Additionally, sports can help students achieve their personal and athletic goals, whether by improving their running time or increasing the amount of weight they can lift, thus boosting self-confidence and giving them an extra incentive to achieve more. Winning a sports match or improving their personal performance may be what they need to feel victorious and motivated to keep moving forward. These positive experiences enhance self-satisfaction and help promote mental and emotional well-being. Therefore, achieving accomplishments and personal progress in sports is an essential part of the benefits that students with attention deficit disorder can achieve. It is important to support and encourage them to continue pursuing their athletic and personal goals, as this contributes to improve students’ concentration, enhancing their self-confidence, and improving their overall quality of life.

Developing social skills:

• Through participating in sports in a group setting, students with attention deficit disorder learn how to cooperate and communicate with others, and how to deal with challenges and difficulties in a constructive and positive manner. This contributes to enhancing self-confidence among students and self-respect.

• When students participate in a sports team such as soccer or basketball, they learn how to collaborate with their teammates to achieve common goals and how to communicate effectively during games and practices. They also learn how to control their emotions and respond to challenges and pressures they may encounter during games, which enhances their emotional control skills and develops patience and resilience.

• Engaging in sports in a group setting also promotes social relationships among students, as they share common experiences and build new friendships. These relationships can be supportive and motivating, as students exchange experiences and encourage each other to improve and develop. Through these positive social relationships, students learn how to interact with others with respect and appreciation, which enhances their social skills and thus contributes to building their self-confidence.

Learning resilience and excellence:

• During sports activities and their challenges, students learn how to deal with failure and persist in trying to achieve success. This contributes to developing resilience and perseverance in the face of challenges, thus enhancing self-confidence.

• When engaging in team sports such as soccer, students may experience losses in some matches or face difficulties in achieving personal goals such as improving their physical skills. However, they learn from these experiences how to deal with failure and use it as an opportunity for learning and growth. For example, when a team loses a match, students learn how to handle this defeat with sportsmanship and how to work on improving their performance in future instead of succumbing to frustration. Additionally, when setting personal goals such as increasing the number of laps in swimming or increasing the distance covered in running, students learn how to commit to training and overcome difficult challenges to achieve those goals. These experiences help students build their resilience and determination to succeed despite obstacles, and enhance their determination to achieve their goals. With each challenge they overcome, students’ belief in themselves and their confidence in their ability to succeed increases, thereby enhancing their self-confidence and excellence.

Motivating challenge and personal development:

• Sports provide an ideal environment for experiencing challenges and developing leadership skills and personal excellence. When students face challenges in sports, they learn how to deal with them effectively and strive to achieve specific goals, thereby enhancing their sense of competence and self-confidence.

Providing opportunities for self-expression:

• Through sports, students can express themselves and develop their personal identity. Whether they choose to join sports teams or engage in individual sports, sports provide them with an opportunity to express their talents and interests.

Enhancing discipline and organization:

• Engaging in sports requires discipline and organization, whether in scheduling exercise routines or following a healthy diet plan. These life skills acquired through sports help improve students’ concentration and their ability to control their lives.

Providing opportunities to learn from failure:

• In the realm of sports activities, students learn the importance of failure and how to deal with it constructively. Failure is not the end of the road but can be the beginning of learning and improvement. This experience enhancing self-confidence among students and makes them feel prepared to face future challenges.

Sports activities are considered among the most important factors that play an effective role in improve students’ concentration suffering from attention deficit. This positively reflects on their academic and personal performance. Additionally, sports activities stimulate the release of chemicals in the brain responsible for feelings of happiness and relaxation, which helps reduce levels of stress and anxiety that may negatively affect concentration. It is essential to understand that the importance of sports activities is not limited to improving physical fitness but also has a significant impact on mental health and focus. Therefore, parents should accept their children’s personalities if they face challenges with attention deficit, encourage them to engage in sports regularly, and provide suitable environments that facilitate their participation in sports activities comfortably so they can enjoy the benefits of sports and its positive impact on their lives overall.