Sports are a fantastic way to get your kids in shape, but not all children enjoy playing sport. Finding suitable outdoors activities for these kinds of children can be difficult, and many parents worry about the long term health effects of their children not getting enough exercise as well as the effect that lack of participation in group activities can have on their self-esteem. There are no simple, one size fits all solutions to this problem; the most effective method of encouraging children to take up a sport, or to get sufficient outdoor exercise otherwise, will depend on the individual child in question.
One of the first mistakes many well-intentioned parents make in encouraging their child to exercise more is to select a sport or activity almost at random, assuming that ‘they will enjoy it once they get there’. This can put unnecessary pressure on the child, who might feel that they have to persevere with a sport that they don’t enjoy in order to keep their parents happy. Rather than encouraging the child to exercise more, this can have the opposite effect and put them off taking up other sports and activities in the future. It can also negatively impact their mood, which runs contrary to the intended effect of having them take up a sport to begin with.
The link between exercise and mental health has been well established; in both adults and children, it is essential that we exercise enough to maintain good physical and mental health. If your child is shy about playing sports because of self-esteem issues, then you should try to ease them into it, preferably beginning with solo activities to build their confidence and easing them towards team sports that they can play alongside friends. Below are some of the best sports for encouraging nervous or unconfident children to get some more exercise, either alone or as part of a team.
Walking and Hiking
This is one of the simplest and most accessible forms of exercise, and one whose value is sadly underappreciated. There are many advantages to taking up walking, especially in the context of encouraging your child to spend more time outdoors. One of the biggest advantages of walking is that it is easily scaled to suit all abilities; walks can be as long or as short as one desires and can be undertaken with an intensity suitable to the participants.
There is no competitive edge to walking, although there’s no reason you can’t add one if you think it will help, which makes it an ideal option for children who feel anxious or pressurized by competing with their peers. Although hiking and nature trails make for a wonderful outdoor experience, there is no reason that your walking activities should be confined to following a pre-determined route. In fact, some of the most rewarding days out will be those that are improvised, and the unpredictability of the experience can be very appealing to some children.
The boundary between hiking and walking is ill-defined, and the two activities are essentially the same. In general, however, hiking is considered a more intensive exercise and is usually associated with longer routes. You shouldn’t attempt anything too dramatic with your children until they have had some time to practice. Although walking doesn’t sound like an intense activity, after several miles inexperienced walkers will really be feeling the exertion.
Golf
Golf is another sport that is easily scaled to provide an appropriate level of challenge, depending on the player’s experience. You might even want to try miniature golf the first few times you take your child to play. Miniature golf tends to appeal more to children with courses that are designed with obstacles and shorter greens. The less formal atmosphere of miniature golf courses makes children feel less pressured and also allows them to feel like they are legitimately competing with their parents and have a chance of winning.
On a full course, they may well feel intimidated unless they have had previous experience. As you and your child progress to full courses, you might want to consider investing in game improvement irons which are more forgiving and make the game a little more accessible for more inexperienced players.
Swimming
Swimming allows participants to exercise multiple areas of the body at the same time and is a fantastic springboard from which children can gain the necessary experience to undertake other water-based activities. Swimming can be done either in a public pool or in natural bodies of water. If you opt for the latter option, be sure to check beforehand that the area you intend to swim in is safe and preferably has a lifeguard on duty. If your child is particularly shy then perhaps swimming in a public pool will be too intimidating. One possible solution is to enroll them in swimming lessons with a small group of similarly aged children.
Once a child has gained their confidence in the water, you can discuss other water sports that they may be interested in such as body boarding and surfing.
Cycling
Learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage that many of us can remember long into adulthood, and it’s a wonderful way to boost your child’s confidence while teaching them a new skill and getting them some more exercise of course!
As with walking, there are a number of pre-set routes one can opt to ride their bike through and these range from gentle, simple courses aimed at newcomers and children, all the way up to intense mountainous courses designed for those with plenty of hours of experience already under their belt. If your child can already ride a bike, then the hardest part is already over, and you can focus on finding the most suitable locations for you and your child to enjoy days out.
It can be hard to encourage children to take up sports and other activities, but the time and effort required to persuade them to give it a go is well worth it in the long run.
