How to Encourage Kids to Exercise if They Dislike Sports
Consider alternative sports., Let your child decide what they like to do., Understand their ability at their age., Have ongoing conversations with the kid.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Consider alternative sports.
Just because sports like football, baseball, hockey, or soccer are widely popular doesn't mean that the kid will enjoy them.
When thinking of exercise routines for your kids, think outside of the box.
Things like dance, martial arts, boxing, gymnastics, swimming, biking, skateboarding, surfing, and skiing are all sports that they can enjoy.Other alternative sports include circus arts, dirt biking, fencing, rock climbing, and rugby. -
Step 2: Let your child decide what they like to do.
Pressuring a child to do what you want them to do can increase their anxiety and cause them emotional distress.
Instead, let your child choose which types of exercise that they will participate in.
Allow them to try out different types of sports and physical activities until they tell you that they like a certain sport or exercise., When children are really young, they may not have the cognitive development to understand complex rules or game strategies.
Let children between the ages of 6-8 try a wide range of different sports and activities to determine what they enjoy doing the most.
It's more important in these developmental years to develop basic hand-eye coordination and motor skills.
By 9-12 years old, kids are ready to try out more complex sports and activities and can understand and learn rules.
At this point, if you've kept them active, they should know what they enjoy doing.Good sports for kids ages 6-8 include T-ball, running, soccer, swimming, and martial arts.
Great sports for children between the ages of 9-12 are football, basketball, hockey, and volleyball., Talk to the child and ask them about their interests.
They may already be interested in joining a certain sport or activity.
If this is the case, allow them to pursue the sport that they are interested in.
Take notice of their body language and determine if they look depressed, sad, or angry.
In addition, pay attention to verbal cues like long pauses in between words.
These may all be signs that they feel uneasy or upset with having to participate in the sport.Sometimes children will refrain from telling adults the truth to satisfy them. -
Step 3: Understand their ability at their age.
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Step 4: Have ongoing conversations with the kid.
Detailed Guide
Just because sports like football, baseball, hockey, or soccer are widely popular doesn't mean that the kid will enjoy them.
When thinking of exercise routines for your kids, think outside of the box.
Things like dance, martial arts, boxing, gymnastics, swimming, biking, skateboarding, surfing, and skiing are all sports that they can enjoy.Other alternative sports include circus arts, dirt biking, fencing, rock climbing, and rugby.
Pressuring a child to do what you want them to do can increase their anxiety and cause them emotional distress.
Instead, let your child choose which types of exercise that they will participate in.
Allow them to try out different types of sports and physical activities until they tell you that they like a certain sport or exercise., When children are really young, they may not have the cognitive development to understand complex rules or game strategies.
Let children between the ages of 6-8 try a wide range of different sports and activities to determine what they enjoy doing the most.
It's more important in these developmental years to develop basic hand-eye coordination and motor skills.
By 9-12 years old, kids are ready to try out more complex sports and activities and can understand and learn rules.
At this point, if you've kept them active, they should know what they enjoy doing.Good sports for kids ages 6-8 include T-ball, running, soccer, swimming, and martial arts.
Great sports for children between the ages of 9-12 are football, basketball, hockey, and volleyball., Talk to the child and ask them about their interests.
They may already be interested in joining a certain sport or activity.
If this is the case, allow them to pursue the sport that they are interested in.
Take notice of their body language and determine if they look depressed, sad, or angry.
In addition, pay attention to verbal cues like long pauses in between words.
These may all be signs that they feel uneasy or upset with having to participate in the sport.Sometimes children will refrain from telling adults the truth to satisfy them.
About the Author
Kevin Stewart
Writer and educator with a focus on practical pet care knowledge.
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