To worry about DD's lack of stamina?

[MaybeIWillFuckOffThen]

All my friends talk about being worn out by their 5yo's boundless energy. But my DD is really ... Well physically quite lazy. She never wants to go out, complains if she has to walk more than 15 minutes or so, doesn't really run about.

She has as varied and healthy a diet as we can manage given she's quite fussy, including meat, fish and eggs for protein. She takes a multi vitamin daily. She's a healthy weight and quite tall. She's very bright and imaginative and has endless enthusiasm for made up games and "pretending", and also crafting related to her pretends - so it's not like she's given to general lassitude. She just can't be arsed to move herself much and becomes quite tearful and whingy when she's forced to, for example, walk half an hour into town.

We've just had a week on holiday with lots of day trips and every day has included her breaking down after a very little time on the move crying that she wants to go back to the holiday home. Once there she's perfectly happy pottering about and playing with toys.

Is this just a variation of normal?

It’s bloody roasting and she’s only tiny. Has she only recently been like this?

Just to be clear we are not at all a "sporty" or outdoorsy family so it's not like she's being asked to go hiking - just general pooling around pretty seaside towns and a children's science museum etc. Stuff that I would have thought a 5yo would enjoy!

If none of you are very active then it's not surprising she's similar.

Do you include a lot of activity in her daily life? Walking to school, trips to the park, swimming etc?

@WhackingPhoenix we're in France ATM where it hasn't been so hot, esp by the coast.

She's always preferred being in, bit of a homebody. Liked her pram and her SmartTrike until she was pushing 3, so quite late to start moving on her own effort ( although she could walk from 10 months so not an ability thing). It's only now I suppose we're expecting more of her as she's a tall, pretty strong looking 5yo and I'd expect her to be increasing her capacity and enthusiasm to walk say half an hour's leisurely downhill to town and if anything she's getting more resistant and complaining about it.

Sounds like you have an introvert who doesn’t enjoy places full of strange people.

She's 5. Some children like being out and walking/running anywhere but others need more encouragement. Neither of mine find walking anywhere very exciting and and need alot of engagement to do it without whinging, they're not lazy as they'll run around like crazy at a park or whatever but walking for any functional reason is just boring to them.

We tend to try and have races, or challenges, or eye spy etc when we walk the 20 mins into our town.

As in I think the destination is the problem, not the journey.

@coffeecupsandfairylights she walks to school but it's literally 5 mins from our front door so not much to write home about 😆 and she has a swimming lesson weekly that she apparently has a good time at (Dad takes her). We don't go swimming for fun much as all she wants to do is ride up and down on my back pretending I'm a mermaid and she's my pet octopus 😆 which is hilarious but a bit of a pain when I also have to administrate her baby sister who is MUCH keener (too keen!) to move independently!

@Discovereads she's definitely an introvert. Really not at all fussed about playing with other kids etc But she doesn't like country walks or woodlands either, any kind of walking she just balks after very little time.

She'll agree to go to the very nearby playground or park where there's a play area, but once there she doesn't really play (swing, run, climb, slide) she just hangs around me chatting, or wanders in the bushes looking for pigeons. I just worry she's a bit inactive and it's not good for her.

What are good physical activities for introverted longer type kids? I don't want to change her personality or make her do things she hates, I just want her to be healthy and to be able to do things she has to do without suffering so much!

A walk in the woods (for example) needs to be made exciting. A buffalo hunt, or eye spy, or see how many different things they can spot etc.

Sounds exactly like dd2. Rather be at home curled up with a book than many other activities that involve exerting herself in any way physically whatsoever.

Completely different if she's with friends or there's a promise of an ice cream at any point in the day. She's 9 but we still have to pack plenty of bribes/snacks when going anywhere far and we don't use the car. Shopping is the worst, every shop she whinges more than the last.

We are fairly active, walk to school most days (when I don't have to go straight to work) swimming lessons, bike rides, go on walks/country parks regularly at the weekend. Still get asked every single morning if we're going to school in the car, followed by disappointment when I say no.

My dd has always been like this too, but so was I as a child. Never really liked physical activity and I spent all my time sat drawing or reading. I did sometimes feel a bit physically behind my friends (I couldn't do handstands and was always the slowest runner!) but I just wasn't very outdoorsy. I am a bit of an introvert though as previous posters have commented.

I have friends whose kids are just on the go all the time, and they will do three different activities in a day (eg, go swimming in the morning, to a farm in the afternoon then the park on the way home). Apparently their kids cannot tolerate staying indoors. My dd would be shattered if we were out doing just one thing every day, never mind so many in one day. She does love days out but also loves having days at home chilling.

I wouldn't worry about it. I think some kids are just more energetic than others.

Does she show any signs of hypermobility? I was similar to your dd as a child, hated walking anywhere because it actually hurt and made me ache, even though I looked fit and healthy. PE was a nightmare for the same reason. Turns out I’m hypermobile, and it’s been a lifelong hatred of physical exercise!

I forgot to say, my dd really loves riding her bike and that's an activity she will tolerate for longer so I tend to steer her towards that

I wouldn't worry about her.

My Mum used to say that to punish sister, she would send her to her room, to punish me, she would send me outside to play.

She was spot on. Being in my room, with my books? Heaven. For my sister, hell.

Some of us like being home, pottering at home

Maybe as school is only 5 mins away then you need to build up to a 30 min walk.
My DCs did some after school clubs such as Zumba and multi sports or football, and outside clubs such as gymnastics and trampolining. (Not all at the same time)

Maybe try a balance bike for walking?

I don't know what to say as it's hard just from a post. But I've a child who is really sensitive and a homebody. Likes art and cosy time. He's lovely. But when we go to woods or in the water he is really active. I wonder is it lack of motivation ? When she is around peers or dancing is it the same ?

Maybe try some toys/games for the garden, if you have one? Something like a trampoline, or swing.

Is it that she doesn't like activity or she doesn't like going out at all? Reason I ask is that my kids enjoy being active but don't enjoy being out IYSWIM.

9YO DS is autistic. 7YO DS isn't diagnosed and is different to his brother. But he is very introverted and always has been. Trying to take them both to the supermarket resulted in meltdowns when they were younger and now I don't take both of them on my own unless an absolute emergency. If we do something like the cinema, bowling, day out etc they will happily do that activity. But then the second they get out, they want to go home. No impromptu popping out for dinner etc on the way home.

They enjoy the park and we are quite outdoorsy as a family. So they enjoy going our for a county walk as a day out etc. But like I said, God forbid I might wanna pop somewhere else on my way home.

Our cousin was like this as a kid, it was a muscle pathology of some kind sorry. Is she ok with hands and dexterity etc? Not saying it is that op but just to give an alternate to the introvert 5 year old.

Maybe a scavenger hunt type activity would engage her? Or insect collecting with a pooter and magnifying glass so she can get a cloers look at nature/leaf rubbing, that sort of thing?

Also meant to say 7YO will enjoy these things and will ask to do them, but after about 40 minutes is complaining he is bored and tired. Doesn't want to do it anymore.

He also finds it hard to sit through a film (complains he's bored after 40 minutes!). Even with eating, he seems to get bored and give up after a certain amount of time.

My niece is like this. She will happily tell me 'I'm not outdoorsy, Auntie Dutter, it's not for me' 😂🤷