My son is 5 yeas old and my weekends now are centred around sports for kids. They consist of swimming lessons on a Saturday and Little Kickers Football Club on a Sunday. Before having a child my weekends were lazy – and I mean really lazy! But I don’t miss it at all. I love how active my son is. He’s getting exercise, he’s building his confidence and he’s having fun. What more could a tired working mum ask for!!

Allowing children to participate in outdoor activities, especially sports, exposes them to various mental, physical, social, and educational benefits. Habits are formed early in life; children who are physically active are more likely to mature into physically active adults. Joining a children’s sports club can also be incredibly beneficial for developing confidence and social skills. As a parent, it’s good to build an encouraging environment so your child can enjoy different kinds of sports and continue to do so well into their adulthood.

So we’ve established that sports can be brilliant for our children. Here are some of the top sports children can enjoy and benefit from.

Swimming as a full body exercise

Swimming is an excellent way to get your kids moving. Regular swimming builds muscle strength, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness. It is a form of a low-impact workout that strengthens your whole body, but most importantly, swimming is fun!

Get your children excited about going to the pool by making it a family activity, pack some lunch, and head to your nearest local public pool. There are also specific baby and toddler swimming classes that specialise in sessions for little ones to get them water confident from an early age. Older children can enjoy group swimming lessons. These can result in lasting friendships for your kids, a chance to socialise and remain active in their daily lives.

Football as a form of cardio

Be it a park, a garden, or indoors in a sports hall; you can pretty much play football anywhere and with either a full team or a small group to practice your skills. If your child is hard to manage and has a lot of energy, it would be smart to direct said energy towards a sport that will help burn some of it off!

It is a brilliant all-around exercise that burns calories and strengthens your bones. Motivate your children to join football clubs, join a team or when they are really young, take out time in the day to play with them in your garden or nearby park.

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Martial Arts as a means of respect and focus

Martial Arts has an emphasis on individual growth as opposed to some of the more team lead sports. It’s brilliant for kids to develop respect and to learn to stay focused and again can really help with their confidence and self-esteem. Martial Arts can also be great for coordination and for kids who would benefit from improving their motor skills.

Cycling for cardiovascular fitness

Riding a bike is a really fun way to improve kids cardiovascular fitness. It will help develop their body muscles, lungs and heart. It is also a really good means to relieve stress and support their emotional wellness. Being outdoors will help boost children’s mood and wellbeing. It’s something you can all do together as a family and is a great way to encourage your kids to be more active. Plus riding your bike as a pollution-free form of transport is brilliant for the environment too!

Dance as a way to express creativity

Dancing can be a wonderful way for kids to expand and express their creativity through movement. Dance also helps children with their self-discipline, flexibility and balance. it’s a really fun form of physical exercise and a dance class is a great way for children to socialise and make new friends.

Volleyball to sharpen hand-eye coordination

Volleyball is yet another sport that you can sneak in with some family time. It is common to associate the sport with the beach, which is perhaps the easiest way to start your children young into the game. Especially if you are lucky enough to live by the sea. If you see your child has a more vested interest in volleyball, then you can help them join clubs or arrange games with friends in the park. Volleyball is a great way to use a whole range of different skills and abilities with any number of people.

Sports for kids

These are just some ideas of the many sports that your children might enjoy. Sports provide children with the important lesson of learning how to work together in a team and maintain mental and physical discipline.

Introduce your children to various sports and activities. See how they perform in both teams and individually. However, make sure your expectations are realistic, and the goal is a healthy lifestyle. If they end up choosing to pursue a sport professionally, later on, it should be out of their own choice, and your responsibility to give them the space to make that choice. Don’t forget the element of fun when it comes to sports, and it’s a wonderful way to enjoy quality time with your kids!

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