Off Topic Non gymnastic sibling

[nycgymmom]

My 10 yr old isn't very athletic my hubby tries to make her but it isn't working. Is there a "sport " or physical activity for kids like this. We just want her active and not a coach potatoe.

 

[Jard.the.gymnast]

Table tennis, rock climbing, golf or swimming are very fun, not-so athletic sports IMO

 

[Faith]

Agree with climbing. Also dance, or martial arts? Big brownie points at school these days if you know your superhero fighting moves...

Trampolining is also fairly big- in the UK everyone has a backyard tramp (sorry dunno), so lessons at will teach them some cool stuff.

Fencing?

Horses- even if not riding the stable duties keep you fairly fit.

Orienteering or geocaching
Dog training (if you have a dog!) agility in particular where you run round with the dog.

Does she like the social aspect of team sports?

 

[andarc]

My 14 yr old non athletic DD has been playing volleyball for a couple of years. She loves it because "it is indoors and not a ton of running." She also likes being part of a team. She plays at the YMCA. I feel it gets her active a few times a week and she has gotten much better. She puts more effort into the conditioning aspect because it's something she wants to do. (I'm not trying to say volleyball isn't athletic. Also, I think the Y is a good choice for my daughter because it is a rec league and her coach has been very supportive and makes it fun.)

 

[MuggleMom]

Are there any just outdoor type camps near you? With Canoeing and archery and all sorts of stuff that they can get a feel for a number of activities (not necessarily sports) that will keep them active? I also think swimming is a great sport for anyone. Its an important life skill in my opinion and you can typically find at the very least regular classes if not competitive teams that are available to all skill levels. Other than that, sometimes joining the Girl Scouts can help keep you active. Horseback riding, hiking, biking, roller skating, skateboarding (we have a lot of skate parks near us)--that's all I can think of at the moment.

 

[gymcat]

Maybe a low key swim club? She can compete against her previous times and not worry about placements.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

My son is like this and he really enjoys the Ninja Warrior (parkour) classes at DD's gym. His real love is piano though!

 

[CLgym]

My middle child hates all things sporty and he is also pretty physically awkward (in contrast to my oldest and youngest who are successful and super involved in their respective sports). For years, I forced my middle guy to do sport-activities. We tried baseball, fencing, tennis, swimming, and probably others that I can't recall. He was pretty miserable doing all of it (tennis was the closest we came to finding a sport for him). However, a few years ago I started sending him to sleep-away camp for a month every summer. He loves it. Sure, while at camp, he often chooses less-sporty activities such as arts/crafts or fishing. But he also really loves activities like archery and riflery. And he is willing to try things like rock climbing and sailing. I also love that his camp does overnight trips out of the camp (canoeing, hiking and even mountain biking). He has really flourished in this environment. Next summer we are looking at 8-weeks of camp (I will miss him!!).

Also (and this is important!) I have learned to accept him for who he is -- a kid who does not like sports, but prefers art (he loves pottery), computer programming and chess. He is his own amazing person. And he is much happier (me too) now that we are not trying to shove a square peg into a round hole.

 

[Tumble_flip_fly]

Well I'm a gymnast but both my sisters aren't very physically active. One of my sisters did gymnastics for a few years then quit and then did swim team for a while then we moved so she wasn't in a team with her old friends and didn't enjoy the team so she quit and now does karate but is close to quitting. She doesn't enjoy anything too hard and once she gets to the point where it's really hard she moves on (which keeps her interested, she likes it, and she still works hard.) my other sister has never been very physically fit, she tries and works hard but she just kinda struggles. For years she played soccer, she was mostly goaly where she didn't have to run too much but was still active then a few years ago she quit soccer and started trying to find something else she likes. She now does karate too and she loves it. She works hard at it but it's not quit as physically demanding as other sports. Anyway, what I'm saying is let her try several different things, she can find what she likes or if she wants she can switch around and stay interested but if she finds what she lives she'll work hard at it. Oh side note I got into gymnastics when I was younger (copying my sister) and just kinda fell in love. I am not naturally strong but I love it so I work hard and it and I got/am getting stronger so with all that let her find what she loves. Hth[emoji23]

 

[Sasha]

What are her other interests? Does she like being outside? Animals? Water activities? Plants/flowers? Rocks/geology? Music? Crafts? Would she like dance perhaps?

I'm thinking some kind of club(s) that match her interest that get out and explore, and can also have her take part at home. Like 4H and she can also do gardening at home. Or a wood-working class and build things at home as well. The dog-training or horse-care-taking suggestions above are along those lines if she is into animals. Or volunteering at a shelter. A hiking group if she's into science/geology.. Perhaps Yoga?

I have a non-athlete. An organized sport is not happening in any way, shape, or form. Zero interest. Sports are punishment, lol. Even those rock-climbing gym outings are only good for a couple runs before he's done, and the only Yoga pose he liked was the one where you lay flat on your back and breathe . But walking/hiking, he likes - particularly if there is some kind of history to understand, or some interactive thing to look for/discover.

It is hard keeping non-active kids active. Organized sports are, imo, not the best route unless it was their own passion and interest that brought them there.

 

[momto2js]

My gymnast son is an athletic Beast. My younger son looks like a baby giraffe when he tries to run. It causes quite the conflict between the two of them. The things that have worked well have been swimming , because even a giraffe is graceful in the water , and the ninja class at the gym. Both groups are recreational and there is no requirement to compete. My kid will practice all day long but he does not like to compete. (I assumes this is natural when you have always basicly been last) the problem with you sports today is they get so darn competitive so so quickly. Rec programs are hard to come by.

 

[crystallions]

I have a DS (13) and DD (15) who have no interest in sports whatsoever, and my youngest (11) who is a gymnast. DS loves science so he reads science books every opportunity he gets. Oldest DD wants to become an author so she is usually reading or working on her next story or poem.

After we drop off our youngest DD at the gym the rest of the family does something together that makes us move for at least 45 min. That can be biking, going to the YMCA to swim, going for a walk, or something like that. (Youngest DD goes to the gym 4 evenings a week.) Often we go swimming at the Y with the whole family on our youngest DD's days off.

This might not work depending on work schedules etc. Just thought I'd share it as a possible idea.

 

[mommyof1]

How about martial arts? I know a few "non-athletic" kids who really love the structure and discipline of martial arts.

 

[wallinbl]

Martial arts, climbing, paddle sports (kayak, paddleboard, etc), scuba, golf, hiking/backpacking, yoga, the possibilities are endless!

Makes me wish there were 200 hours in a day to get out and do it all!

 

[Avasmom]

At our local YMCA they allow children 8 and up to take the wellness classes (zumba, dance fitness, yoga) with a parent. That would allow her to choose some classes she would like to do.

 

[munchkin3]

My middle child hates all things sporty and he is also pretty physically awkward (in contrast to my oldest and youngest who are successful and super involved in their respective sports). For years, I forced my middle guy to do sport-activities. We tried baseball, fencing, tennis, swimming, and probably others that I can't recall. He was pretty miserable doing all of it (tennis was the closest we came to finding a sport for him). However, a few years ago I started sending him to sleep-away camp for a month every summer. He loves it. Sure, while at camp, he often chooses less-sporty activities such as arts/crafts or fishing. But he also really loves activities like archery and riflery. And he is willing to try things like rock climbing and sailing. I also love that his camp does overnight trips out of the camp (canoeing, hiking and even mountain biking). He has really flourished in this environment. Next summer we are looking at 8-weeks of camp (I will miss him!!).

Also (and this is important!) I have learned to accept him for who he is -- a kid who does not like sports, but prefers art (he loves pottery), computer programming and chess. He is his own amazing person. And he is much happier (me too) now that we are not trying to shove a square peg into a round hole.

Oh, please pm the camp info for my middle child! He needs art, archery and all things similar! I need a place for my square peg!

 

[AmethystJayne]

I was NOT an athletic kid growing up.
I did swimming and theatre. Theatre has lots of movement to keep activity up and has a good assortment of things to do.

 

[auswi]

Our Dd who doesn't particularly enjoy most sport ( & who is placed slapbang in the middle of extremely sporty siblings) found 2 she thoroughly enjoys ( after trying absolutely everything available in our area. )

She is a very successful hockey goalie & loves to row in summer. Might be with a try

 

[MUTigerMom]

My nonathletic DS has really struggled with this as well. He feels like he is always in his younger sister's shadows (athletically). The low point was at his baseball party when we played kids vs parents and his sister (who had never played anything similar) fielded a ball and every dad there was running up telling us to get her signed up for softball asap. (Too bad they didn't see her bat... they would have lost interest quickly.)

Does your child like sports and just struggles (like my son) or does she not enjoy them at all?
If she enjoys sports but just struggles, I would recommend looking to see if you have Upward leagues in your area. They are Christian based. They do a "skills assessment" of all the kids and form balanced team (so no more of that one team that kills all the other rec teams because they are stacked with athletes). They also focus on fun and fitness above winning (although scores are kept.) They usually have leagues for all the traditional sports.
My son has also found success in tennis and water polo. There are less kids interested, so the coaches give everyone time and attention (not just the best athletes).

A lot was just letting him try everything and anything and seeing what "stuck."

He also is really into the arts and plays guitar and loves theater. Theater does involve quite a bit of movement, at least where he has taken classes. This might be a good option if she dislikes sports.

Good luck to you!

 

[sppd]

Clearly my Gymnast daughters athletic choice takes much of our time, however all three of my other children are involved in sports of some kind. However it wasn't always this way. My oldest Son was not interested in sports at all up until his sisters were both successful in their chosen sports (Gymnastics and Baseball). We had him try just about every sport from soccer to baseball to basketball and he had no interest. My other DDs baseball coach noticed that our oldest son was always hanging around at practice so he invited him to "help out" with practice a few times when he was 13. Suddenly he was interested in playing and joined baseball. He now eats, sleeps, and lives for baseball. So what I am saying is that in our case although not interested or particularly skilled in sports his tastes changed after 13 years and he is now very athletic and will be playing HS baseball next year, and now wants to tryout for football in the fall. Give it time and suggest but don't pressure and you never know what will happen. We are a very active family including camping, fishing, hiking, and anything outdoors which was enough to keep our Son fit and healthy until he finally pulled the trigger on an organized sport.