Clumsy and physically slow 7 year olds

[Queenofblankets]

Hi everyone,

Please give me all your tips and advice about children who have no motivation to run properly, kick balls, bat balls or catch.

My son is so uncoordinated he’s been checked for dyspraxia and hypermobility- he hasn’t got either.

He’s literally just lazy and doesn’t see the point in sports.

Is there anything I can do or anything I buy that’ll strengthen his muscles and give him life skills such as running (in a non Phoebe type manner), kicking balls, catching balls and batting balls. All at a very basic level.

E.g sports day he lies on the ground picking at grass.

E.g during rounders he stares off at a distance and doesn’t even try to bat the incoming ball knowing it’ll whack him in the face.

He’s THAT lazy.

He’s great at jumping and a trampoline has helped a little. And he’s fab at bike riding & scooting!

Thanks for any advice

I just want to add that me and DH are runners & play football. So we’re quite an active family and active role models DS just isn’t interested whatsoever!!

In the kindest possible way, all I’m seeing here is a parent who is disappointed that their child has fallen further from the tree then expected by not being interested in sport. I’d suggest you give him some space and don’t make this a battle. He’s hardly lazy (I hope you don’t use this language to him?) if he scoots and cycles and trampolines. He’s just currently not interested in team sports, which is okay. He is free to develop his own interests and tastes, that can deviate from yours and your OH’s. Unless he has a medical diagnosis that causes him muscle weakness there is nothing you can buy to ‘strengthen his muscles’. If he wants to run or kick a ball he will do in his own time, in the meantime I think you should let him do what he enjoys for exercise. Keep boundaries for sure - eg not Xbox for 10h a day, but let him cycle and bounce if that’s what he gets pleasure from. Making exercise an issue will only backfire later in life.