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Original poster

How important is sport (outside of school) for a 6-7 year old?

52 replies

SSShakeTheChi · 27/04/2007 08:57

I came to the conclusion yesterday that sport, at least the forms we've tried, isn't dd's thing. I wrote a couple of letters yesterday cancelling the contracts for KungFu and ballet and I told her she needn't go riding anymore since she doesn't like it. She isn't any good at any of those things TBH, she really struggles to coordinate and I think she's getting frustrated at not being able to do it. She went to swimming lessons for 2.5 years which did pay off eventually but it took her forever to learn and she hated it, however I noticed on holiday that she's very confident now (she can't do crawl, backstroke or anything though, just basic breast-stroke).

So do I just forget about sport for now or is it important that she's doing some sport outside of the bit of running about the hall they do at school (about half an hour 3x week as far as I can work out)?

Looking back I was riding at that age but that was it and it wasn't particularly sportly, just sitting on a horse that plodded calmly about.

OP posts:
KateF · 27/04/2007 10:22

Could you take rollerskates to a park? I lived in Berlin as a child and remember a lot of parks but I suppose it depends whereabouts you live.

sauce · 27/04/2007 10:23

oops, trampolining already mentioned. Maybe try a more relaxed dance class, like hip-hop or something (they have lots of this kind of thing in Switzerland so should be similar in Germany). Or yoga?

contentiouscat · 27/04/2007 10:30

Do you have any drama and dancing clubs there? We have perform and talent stop here - im sure some people take it seriously but they pitch it as being confidence building as much as anything.

I was going to give you the some links but I see you are in Germany so it wouldnt be any use to you!!

Zog · 27/04/2007 10:37

admylin, at ds's cricket club, it's organised by age, so your son would be in with his age group. The great thing about cricket is there's so many different skills involved, so even if you can't hit a thing, you might be a good bowler or fantastic fielder.

wychbold · 27/04/2007 10:40

Admylin: I?m trying to remember when DS first started cricket ? about age 8 or 9, I think. We tried several summers ago but he only really got into it last summer.
At the younger ages they only practiced Kwik Cricket with plastic bats and rarely played a game. It was a bit ?tame? and he couldn?t see the point of it (he?s very competitive). He took it up again last year (Y6) with a different club where they use leather-and-willow and arrange competitive matches and he really enjoys it now.

admylin · 27/04/2007 11:08

Thanks for the info. Sounds great about the age groups at cricket. I hope it works out for a month at least.
That is a draw back with alot of clubs I've looked at (Judo, Karate etc) as a beginner he'd be with 5 and 6 year olds mostly and he wouldn't want to go.

Zog · 27/04/2007 11:20

ds started at 6. Very gentle introduction but still enough to keep them all keen.

LIZS · 27/04/2007 11:24

Does she ride a bike ? If she isn't actually swimming strokes yet perhaps it is worth trying to resume the swimming. Are there any international schools in your vicinity , they can be a source of an array of clubs and activities (perhaps including Brownies or similar) and there may be holiday courses/day camps where she could try a few things out which you could pursue later.

casbie · 27/04/2007 11:45

i wasn't interested in sport when i was younger, but when i discovered rugby, yoga and had my own bike it made such a difference.

i think it's not that she doesn't like sport, but she hasn't found what she really likes doing...

my dd loves horse-riding (not very good at it, but she loves doing it anyway)

my ds loves water so i'm hoping he will learn to swim and then surfing

my other dd is still too young and finds climbing into the others high sleepers and bouncing on trampolines her fun.

other ideas: gymnastics, football, basketball, netball, tennis, canoing, sailing, rowing

remember sport has got to be fun, unless she enjoys it there's not much point!

NKF · 27/04/2007 11:48

I think what matters (from a health point of view) is exercise. It doesn't have to be organised. I think it's reasonable not to want to do another "lesson" after a day at school.

wychbold · 27/04/2007 11:58

?I think it's reasonable not to want to do another "lesson" after a day at school.?

Horses for courses.
My DS isn?t interested in competitive sport played in a non-competitive way. He does want to learn the proper way to do it: it?s a joy, not a chore!

NKF · 27/04/2007 12:04

Of course. I'm just saying some kids don't want to. And I don't think it matters much if they don't.

tomps · 27/04/2007 12:07

I bet she would absolutely love to do something together with you. That sounds really sad that you write you don't want to do an activity with her.

Original poster
SSShakeTheChi · 27/04/2007 12:22

I do a lot with her but I don't want to do sport with her IYSWIM. School finishes at 1 so we have a lot of time together and do a lot of activities and things but playing sport with dc doesn't really interest me. Other things yes, but not sport.

OP posts:
NKF · 27/04/2007 12:24

But you can just muck about with a frisbee. Or go swimming. Or go for a walk (she could take a scooter) and look at the cherry blossom. It doesn't have to be this formal thing "sport".

Original poster
SSShakeTheChi · 27/04/2007 12:27

I did consider tennis since I play it myself. She sees me playing tennis but isn't interested in taking it up herself. Actually I think ball games would be difficult for her, anything involving a raquet or a bat and trying to hit a ball. Also think netball/basketball might not be up her street. I suppose with time she will encounter those types of sports at school though. So she may develop a liking for them later.

I think LIZ that you're right, I may need to persevere with swimming but perhaps leave the rest for now. I decided not to continue with it for a while since she disliked the lessons so much but she may do a 2 week course in summer at an outdoor pool. She did that last year and I found she enjoyed it.

I did consider fencing a while back but I think perhaps just track or something like that if it isn't too deadly serious might suit her better.

Perhaps folk dances rather than ballet too, although her ballet course if still very laid back.

OP posts:
Original poster
SSShakeTheChi · 27/04/2007 12:32

actually she is a very sociable little kid so she does enjoy the element of doing things with other dc. She's very happy to be off with other dc at some activity, that side of things she likes, it is the actual having to acquire skills and concentrate and so on that she can't always be bothered with I think. She does like "having a little friend" at ballet, or swimming or whatever and having a chat and giggle while they do things but that is all she seems to like about it.

OP posts:
Original poster
SSShakeTheChi · 27/04/2007 12:35

concat I don't know if we have the equivalent of those drama and dancing classes. She might enjoy that I could imagine if the atmosphere was right. There's bound to be a lot of that type of thing here though, just have to find it.

Thanks everyone for the ideas, I will churn it over and do some googling.

OP posts:
foxinsocks · 27/04/2007 12:40

mine's the same age (she's 6, 7 this year) and only does swimming. I've got her on the waiting list for gym class (which I think might be quite fun) - she can still chat to her mates and learn to do the cartwheels and stuff that they all seem obsessed with trying to do!

Original poster
SSShakeTheChi · 27/04/2007 12:57

Well she seems happy that she doesn't have to do any of these activities anymore so I'll leave it be for a while rather than trying something else straight away. Maybe she can try something out in the summer holidays. They're cute trying to do their cartwheels and handstands , aren't they?

OP posts:
foxinsocks · 27/04/2007 13:00

yes, very sweet! Poor dd is not the most fantastically co-ordinated but she can nearly do a handstand and makes a sort of falling over effort at a cartwheel. She'll be so pleased when she finally does one!

OrmIrian · 27/04/2007 13:08

The exercise is important, the sport isn't. As simply the most uncompetitive child in the world I hated sports - and as a result I gave up all sports as soon as I was able to. I used to walk a lot I suppose so I wasn't totally unfit. It was only later that I realised that I loved keeping myself fit - not through sport but through running, step classes, circuit training etc.

OrmIrian · 27/04/2007 13:09

Does she have a bike? Could she go for a ride with you or some other adult or older child? Mine love their bikes.

Original poster
SSShakeTheChi · 27/04/2007 13:13

she does have a bike, yes but we're right in the centre of Berlin so bike riding isn't ideal at this age IYSWIM (traffic accidents etc). You're in Ireland, aren't you? If so, I could imagine dc get enough exercise just being outdoors, like admylin's when they are in the lake district.

OP posts:
OrmIrian · 27/04/2007 13:16

South-west England. I can see your concerns then in a city. We live in a small town with a nearby park so we are lucky in that there is some freedom for them. And not far from open countryside.