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Fitness for Kids Who Don't Like Sports |
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Playing sports can help your child stay fit, but can also help them develop self-esteem, coordination, and social skills. But some kids either aren't natural athletes or don't enjoy playing sports. What then?
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There's plenty a kid can do to get the recommended 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day. Shooting hoops, riding bikes, playing whiffle ball, playing tag, jumping rope, or dancing are all great sources of exercise.
Outside of the most common team sports, your child might want to try individual sports or other organized activities that can boost his or her fitness.
Here are some ideas:
- swimming
- horseback riding
- inline or ice skating
- cycling
- skateboarding
- hiking
- golf
- tennis
- gymnastics
- martial arts
- yoga and other fitness classes
- running
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Even if the going's tough, work with your child to find something active that he or she likes. Try to remain open-minded. You'll need to be patient if your child has difficulty choosing and sticking to an activity. It often takes several tries before a child finds one that feels like the right fit. But when something clicks, you'll be glad you invested the time and effort. For your child, it's one big step toward developing active habits that can last a lifetime.
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- Autism Any team sport, depending on how mainstreamed the child is at that stage
- Attention Defecit Disorder Dance to teach moving and discipline or martial arts to help with the psychological component
- Asthma Aquatic sports because of the warm, moist air; cold, dry air can cause asthma symptoms
- Cardiac disease Aerobic activity is often recommended to stimulate the heart muscle
- Diabetes Endurance sports like running, swimming or lacrosse to stabilize insulin uptake
- Epilepsy Regular exercise can decrease the symptoms of this condition. No contact sports, but others with sustained exercise, like basketball and baseball.
- Mental retardation Dance helps teach how to discipline their movements
- Muscular Dystrophy and Multiple Sclerosis Strength training like weightlifting to help muscles develop
- Obesity Any sport is beneficial, but strength training and martial arts are particularly good
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