For many families, the back-to-school season also means back-to-sports. Organized team activities like soccer, baseball and softball can be great ways for kids to make friends, learn about teamwork and develop a passion for physical activity. Plus, the 2008 Olympic Games offer great inspiration for kids and parents alike to pursue fun sports and fitness activities during this time of year.

But, if your kids are slacking on the soccer field, don’t be too quick to count them out as natural athletes just yet!

Family Education has an interesting article explaining that many kids quit sports simply because they aren’t having fun. When I was in school, I was always the girl sitting in the outfield making daisy necklaces while the other kids played kickball. I wasn’t even vaguely interested in team sports until I started playing tennis in the eighth grade and fell in love.

So, if your kids don’t seem excited by sports these days, why not give some of these alternative sport ideas from PBS a try? They are a fun way to keep your kids entertained and energized all school year long!

• Badminton
• Baton twirling
• Fencing
• Figure skating
• Karate
• Kayaking
• Mountain biking
• Rock climbing
• Sculling (rowing)
• Skateboarding
• Surfing
• Synchronized swimming
• Tennis
• Triathlons
• Wakeboarding
• Water skiing

If your kids still insist that they don’t like sports, have them take a look at this helpful article from Kids Health. You can also start including them in activities you enjoy, taking short hikes or playing a few holes of golf with the kids in tow. Before you know it, your whole family will be happy, healthy and enjoying the beautiful fall weather together!

Tags: activities, alternative sports, fitness, games, health, sports

This entry was posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 8:14 am and is filed under General Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.