Kids have been getting progressively bigger since the 1980s, thanks to a rich diet, plus a bunch of other factors which scientists aren’t entirely clear on. But now moms are fighting back, looking for ways to make their kids slimmer and healthier so that they can have productive and fulfilling lives, without constant health complaints.
Part of the strategy is to use sport. But which sports do kids actually like playing? Glad you asked: it turns out that Kidzworld recently conducted their own survey to find out what kids like and what they don’t. Here’s what they came up with.
Skateboarding And Biking
Right at the top of kids’ lists of favorite things to do were skateboarding and biking. This should hardly come as any surprise to parents who are used to standing outside the bike park for hours on end while their kids try to impress their friends with tricks.
What’s cool about skateboarding and biking is just how varied they can be. For instance, in the world of biking, there’s downhill racing, trials, BMX, mountain biking and four-cross, just to mention a few. Biking is also a great way to help give your child independence, since they can cycle anywhere they like, including to their friends’ houses.
Golf
Surprisingly, kids also loved golf, perhaps because of the fact that it always shows up in the form of silly golf at fairs and theme parks. But golf is far from a silly sport: it’s deadly serious, as the backlash against top golfer Beef Johnson’s beard attests.
Finding the best golf clubs for beginners isn’t hard thanks to all the information online. Yes, your child will most likely need their own set of clubs, but there’s no reason you need to spend any more than you might on, say, a new bike.
Floor Hockey
Kidzworld also found that kids love playing floor hockey, the first invasion-style game on this list. Floor hockey is Canadian in origin, offering lower barriers to entry than regular ice hockey. At least you don’t have to live near an ice rink or spend a fortune on skates.
Floor hockey is usually played on foot, but it can also be made a lot more fun – as well as a lot more dangerous – if played on rollerblades.
Tennis
There’s nothing quite as satisfying in getting a good rally going in a game of tennis. Kids love tennis because it is fast-paced, rewarding and challenging. One way to get you kids into the sport is to get them to practice rallying. You’ll be surprised just how quickly they pick it up.
Frisbee
Do you remember the days of watching people throw Frisbees half way across the park when you were young? It was fun, wasn’t it? Well, it turns out that kids today, according to Kidzworld, also love playing frisbee. The trend at the moment is to pick a tree, between 100 and 400 yards away and try to hit it from a distance. The closer the frisbee lands to the base of the tree, the more points you get.