Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

What sports do your girls do

59 replies

Tohaveandtohold · 15/06/2022 10:07

What would you recommend.

So I have a DD who will be 9 soon. She plays an instrument at school and at a music school for 3 hours on Saturday and she’s very good at it. She likes it as well and also does 30 mins of swimming per week.

She has been doing gymnastics for almost 4 years now (goes to training for 8 hours a week, more during competition season) but myself and dad thinks it’s getting out of hand now. She loves going and has lots of friends however since competitions started after covid, she has been to 4 (2 county and 2 regional) but apart from the second competition when she came second with her group, she has always had a low grade in her individual routines and not come home with medals which is getting her down. She cries for days, we ask if she wants to stop but she refuses.

We don’t care about medals, etc but I care about how this is making her feel. It’s almost like she feels like an imposter, this is getting me down as well but she just does not want to quit, mostly because of the friends she has made as she’s also in a competitive group there.

I feel if you’re committing an average of 10 hrs a week to something, at that age, it shouldn’t be something that’ll affect you negatively. We’ve decided that we’ll pull the plug on it at the end of this term but she’s very athletic and competitive, we can’t just take her out and not find her something else (though ideally, I want something that does not require that much time commitment), sorry this has turned out to be long but what sport will you recommend.

OP posts:
DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 16/06/2022 11:07

I played rugby at uni and it was the best thing ever for my body confidence and friendships.
In rugby, unlike most other sports, the team actively needs team mates of all shapes and sizes. It is a really welcoming accepting sport.
I found netball and football to be a lot more cliquey, but I might have just had bad luck with that.

My 7yo DD plays rugby and really loves it, who knows how long it'll last for. She might not enjoy the tackling...!

DorotheaDiamond · 16/06/2022 10:30

I was going to suggest trampolining- her gym background will be a real help
and it’s not nearly so competitive! Plus you can get as advanced as you want and never be forced to compete if you don’t want to.

TheMousePipes · 16/06/2022 10:30

My dd is 12. She does a martial art and is a navy cadet which means she sails, kayaks, hikes, mountain bikes etc. Not competitive but progressing through the qualifications and she loves it.

Natsku · 16/06/2022 10:24

Oh and circus school, which isn't really a sport but a lot of similarities to gymnastics, but no competitions so no disappointments, the focus just on improving in the areas you enjoy and lots of fun.

Natsku · 16/06/2022 10:23

Agree with the suggestions of team sports for her competitive side, and martial arts are a good option too. DD is 11 and she does volleyball, parkour and jujitsu.

IDidntKnowItWasAParty · 16/06/2022 10:12

Tennis and football. Wants to do a martial art too.

drspouse · 15/06/2022 16:49

Oh I forgot she does karate too.

drspouse · 15/06/2022 16:48

Mine is just 8 and gave up gymnastics when it clashed with football. She isn't exactly an avid footballer (and she isn't on a team yet) but it's the kind of thing where you can take part, or not, and be with your team without competing with the others.
She also swims and has started learning skateboarding. I've promised to take her again to a girls night at the skate park as she enjoyed going to that before (they lent her a board and older girls helped her).

MrsPnut · 15/06/2022 16:45

Teenage DD does rugby and roller derby, used to also do judo but struggled to fit it in.

TheTurn0fTheScrew · 15/06/2022 16:18

IME girls' football has been very relaxed and inclusive. My DD only started this year aged 11 because afew of her mates play. She's not very skilled (understatement) but has been welcomed aboard and given lots of match time.

massistar · 15/06/2022 15:43

DD13 does jujitsu, netball and surf lifesaving. She's just started fun girls rugby too. We all do lots of different sports rather than concentrating on one seriously which helps to keep it fun I think.

londonmummy1966 · 15/06/2022 15:22

DD and I used to do 5K runs together when she was that age as it was a nice way to have some 1:1 time - parkrun is a good one but we also did the odd charity fun run too. If she likes the team element of gymnastics then cheerleading would be a good fit.

BrianBettyGrable · 15/06/2022 15:11

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn at the poster's request

BrianBettyGrable · 15/06/2022 15:10

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn at the poster's request

Iamclearlyamug · 15/06/2022 15:10

My daughter rides horses (for fun and competitively) and freely admits she's rubbish at everything else (she's like me, I was never sporty apart from the horses) She loves that she has to bond with her pony and that they form a team together. It's also brilliant for teaching responsibility and dedication

horseymum · 15/06/2022 15:06

Triathlon, good to do multisports as it uses different muscles etc. Events are not really about the winning for most, it's the challenge. Our club is really friendly. You can include open water if she's already a good swimmer.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 15/06/2022 15:05

DD(10) plays cricket in the summer, football in the winter, and both in April and May. Has done for 3 or 4 years. She had to give up swimming as it clashed with Scouts.

Beamur · 15/06/2022 15:01

Climbing? Good for overall fitness, a gymnast would already have good core strength and flexibility. Can be done for fun but also competitively.
Dance, cheerleading also good alternatives with relatable skill set.
Athletics?

stripesorspotsorwhat · 15/06/2022 14:55

Agree with another pp - how about trying dance, maybe tap or modern jazz?

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 15/06/2022 14:47

Just turning 11yo: Parkrun
9yo: Rugby and cricket

Both also have swimming lessons. Elder DD wasn't able to do cricket this year as it clashes with Scouts.

aquietlifeplease · 15/06/2022 14:47

Martial arts, they each do different ones - one trains 7 hours training a week and competes at a national level the other does 6 hours a week just for the fun. They’re both fit as fleas and can no defend themselves if need be! They both did gymnastics, swimming and football as well until covid hit but neither wanted to go back to those.

MacavityTheDentistsCat · 15/06/2022 14:43

With her gymnastics background: synchronised swimming or diving.

Tohaveandtohold · 15/06/2022 14:40

Thank you so much for your suggestions, I like the idea of team sports as well, just so she’s not dealing with the disappointment on her own if there’s any. Thanks for all your ideas, I’ll look into some netball and hockey clubs around here.
She plays tennis quite alright at a local leisure centre when she goes there for holiday club but I’m thinking we’ll give that a pass for a club because of its individual nature as well so she can just do that for fun.

OP posts:
Northernexile · 15/06/2022 12:58

I’m in NI, my 7 and 10 year old do recreational gymnastics (1 class a week), swimming and Gaelic football and camogie. They’ll do soccer/football in the winter when the Gaelic stops. They do love the team sports, it’s also pushed very heavily at school and all their school friends play for the same club.

ResentfulLemon · 15/06/2022 12:55

My eldest daughter is now a teenage potato. The youngest loves football and Judo.

It might be worth asking what sports her friends play, that's how we got our youngest daughter playing football in the first place. Piqued her interest then she fell in love with it.

Swipe left for the next trending thread