Can anyone recommend a sport for DD please?

[skankingpiglet]

DD1 (5.5) is very active and loves having a go at different sports. She currently swims and does gymnastics regularly, but is getting very frustrated at her lack of progress in gym and I suspect will soon ask to do something else instead (she's been doing it for 2.5yrs). I think she's finding it hard as whilst she is very strong and has really good stamina and flexibility, she really struggles with coordination. Obviously keeping at the gymnastics would improve her coordination in time, but she's becoming quite demoralised and I don't want to end up having to force her to do something she doesn't like each week that is supposed to be a recreational activity.
Swimming has the same problem (can swim for a long time/distance for her age and size, but has struggled to grasp techniques at the same rate), but she is happy swimming as she is still 'progressing' earning distance badges, and enjoys leisure swims.

She struggles with confidence, and it would be great to have her doing another sport she really enjoys and is good at to boost this. Can anyone think of a sport that suits a younger child and is less balanced towards coordination? I thought perhaps rock climbing might work, but the nearest place is a bit of a drive so looking for other suggestions too please.

Rugby.

I'm honestly struggling with thinking of a sport which doesnt require co-ordination. Does it have to be a sport how about rainbows/brownies (I dont know the age groups so which ever she is old enough for).

lovelyupnorth I was going to say rugby but I know a lot of kids struggle with the passing backwards element. I suppose it depends how bad her coordination is.

Trampolining
Football
Karate

Maybe try a team sport where there isn’t so much focus on her individually, and there’s less individual skills to master.

Rugby? Football? Basketball? Netball?

Or judo

Cricket is absolutely great for this. Call your local club and see if they have any training sessions starting soon. The training usually starts around now and moves to outside during the summer term.

Our local clubs have a bar open during the summer training and the kids get to do lots of fun activities in the sun after school.

Nearly all clubs focus on having fun and enjoying yourself at this age.

Climbing might be another good one to try as most climbing centres and less focused on results than swimming or gymnastics.

And agree with the op who said does it have to be a sport. How about Beavers?

Bunnybigears obviously all sports require some coordination, but some are weighted more/less heavily in favour of different skills. Darts would be a good example of a sport that requires precise coordination, but very little stamina or strength for instance.

I can suggest rugby, but we have tried football unsuccessfully. She is quite a nervous/anxious child, and she struggled with the contact element. She is very keen to try Karate, but I assumed this would also need a higher level of coordination?

Her name is down for Beavers and she should hopefully start in the summer term. She is really looking forward to it.

Yes, something without a badge or 'winning' might be worth a go. Whilst she is very motivated to get badges, she becomes very demoralised if she doesn't achieve them at regular intervals.

Hadn't thought of cricket! I will show her some videos and see if it grabs her attention, thank you 🙂

Would she like dancing (of which there are many varieties: ballroom, freestyle, jazz, etc, etc). There are endless exams, with attendant certificates and cups for her to collect.

Cycling. It's why Lance Armstrong said he got into cycling, he didn't have coordination for American football.

My ds a,so struggles with balance and coordination.

He's a swimmer. He's great at swimming whole strokes but still struggles with some elements of technique when doing drills. The more you repeat something in swimming the more it gets into muscle memory and because it's a weightless exercise and done in prone/supine position it is easier for co ordination difficulties.
It's hard to encourage a 5yo that slow and correct is better than fast and messy!
She may benefit from a different type of club/lesson set up. They seem to run differently but dependent on geography there can be loads or just a few to choose from.

Maybe try trampoline or karate/judo?

The kids yoga on you tube is also really helpful for improving coordination, strength and flexibility and you can do these together at home. There are some great fun ones out there - especially the ones where you act out stories!

I was also coming on to say cricket. Lots of clubs have been offering the All Stars Cricket scheme in the last couple of years which is aimed for 5-8 year olds. It's all based around fun activities and will probably help with coordination.

Would dance be good? It would support her gymnastics but (depending on the class) there would be less focus on winning and would also improve her coordination.

Not karate! It requires a lot of coordination and ability to remember sequences for Kata.

Running/Trail running/Orienteering/Triathlon

True, Karate is based on co-ordination. The Katas have to be so precise.

My similarly uncoordinated DC3 is having surprising success with karate. She also struggles with things like gymnastics and swimming but is doing really well at this (which is doing wonders for her self-confidence as she follows behind very sporty DC1 and 2!!)

I would not write off her current activities at 5 1/2. Growth and development is so variable she may well sudden acquire the strength and skills to progress or find a niche in gymnastics. Ballet might be worth a try to develop her strength and in its own right, from there she could use gym skills for other dance forms, acro or trampolining. Some councils, clubs and sports centres run taster clubs in half term and school holidays to try different activities out. Sports which require less coordination such as climbing and sailing really start a little older though. Does it have to be a sport, or could it be other interests such as music.

We will definitely be continuing with swimming. She has the makings of a good swimmer. She can already swim 100m, spend 40 mins diving for hoops/performing rolls and handstands/generally messing around (but in the water moving the whole time), then swim another 100m without any real effort. For her age she's doing really well. There is a great local swim club, but they won't take kids until they are level 5. DD1 has been in level 4 for 9 months now as she is struggling with the coordination elements. She will be moving to the club as soon as she can!

She would love dancing! (And the endless exams 😬) Can you still progress well without being particularly coordinated? Will we hit a bit of a wall a little way in? She particularly likes break dancing 🙈

I was going to suggest climbing, there are certificates kids can do. My local climbing centre runs kids classes and they all have little folders where they get things signed off to get their next certificate. It's brilliant for strength and flexibility, and will help with coordination too. It's a shame that there isn't a closer centre for you as it's such a great sport to get in to!

I'm convinced that my dds participation in sports has developed her ability to learn technique and skills which has translated into academic success now. And at 5.5 no one is coordinated but sports really help. Think of it that way round. This age is all about trying lots of things and persisting with some. Choose things that are local and convenient! Dd1 - tried gymnastics, dance, netball, hockey, stuck at and adores football and volleyball, plays as a hockey goalie too, also enjoys sailing and goes to the gym. Dd2 - enjoyed gymnastics and dance for a long time, less keen on team sports but liked climbing and adores anything adrenaline fuelled like sailing (when it's windy!) and skiing. My niece is a cricket and rugby girl. Look out for club taster days.

LIZS I definitely haven't written her off! I just want her to feel happy and like she's good at what she's doing. I hope the penny will drop on the coordination front as she gets older.
She has plenty of opportunity to do non-sporty things too, but as I said she is very active and needs to be up and doing a fair bit, or we all suffer.