Sports to try for an un-athletic girl

[Anonymous]

Hi all,
My 8 year old daughter is a total delight. Loves to read, loves to practice her piano, super funny and engaging kid. She is, however, extremely un-athletic. As a result, she tends to not like any of the sports or physical activities I try to enroll her in, because she struggles to keep up. I would really love to find her a sport or physical activity that she enjoys, because I think it's really important to her health and to becoming a well-rounded person (I was also bookish like her, and it took me until my 30s to realize that I enjoy certain types of exercise).

She does like things like bike riding and swimming, just for fun. But I think it'd be good to get her into something with a little more structure than that. So far we've tried dance, gymnastics, soccer, and softball. None of it has really stuck.

Any recommendations for other things to try? I was thinking maybe golf? Or should I just care less about this? I admit it's kind of a personal sore spot for me, so it's possible that I'm projecting.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I was going to say softball, which worked for my very unathletic girl (pitching is the thing that has really stuck, because you can be good just by putting in a ton of repetition). If that didn't work, how about ice skating? Or if she's willing to get strong enough, what about rock climbing? Both are fairly technical, which for my unathletic girl is what worked.

Also having friends on the team or in the activity can be huge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was going to say softball, which worked for my very unathletic girl (pitching is the thing that has really stuck, because you can be good just by putting in a ton of repetition). If that didn't work, how about ice skating? Or if she's willing to get strong enough, what about rock climbing? Both are fairly technical, which for my unathletic girl is what worked.

Also having friends on the team or in the activity can be huge.

Softball is good because it is structured, not a chaotic scrum around the ball like other team sports at that age.

[Anonymous]

Softball fencing martial arts XC

[Anonymous]

Girls On The Run? Girls I know who do that love it. Very inclusive, focus on fun and challenging yourself wherever you are.

[Anonymous]

My very, very unathletic daughter loves swimming.

[Anonymous]

Why does she have to play organized sports? Why can’t she just swim, ride her bike, and walk for fun?

[Anonymous]

Swimming rowing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was going to say softball, which worked for my very unathletic girl (pitching is the thing that has really stuck, because you can be good just by putting in a ton of repetition). If that didn't work, how about ice skating? Or if she's willing to get strong enough, what about rock climbing? Both are fairly technical, which for my unathletic girl is what worked.

Also having friends on the team or in the activity can be huge.

Softball is good because it is structured, not a chaotic scrum around the ball like other team sports at that age.

OP already said that they tried softball and it didn't stick.

Rock climbing, Girls Who Run, Golf, Yoga, Pickleball are all good options. I've seen some small gyms offering kids classes focused on balance, coordination, etc. it might something worth looking into.

[Anonymous]

Theater

[Anonymous]

Rock climbing has been great for my unathletic girl. Perfect combination of individual and team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does she have to play organized sports? Why can’t she just swim, ride her bike, and walk for fun?

I agree with this, but also my kid who wasn’t very athletic/into team sports did tai kwon do for 5 or 6 years.

[Anonymous]

Figure skating was the answer for my DD.

[Anonymous]

Softball. They don't really get much exercise, she may like that about it.

Specifically what does she struggle with? Stamina, gross motor, hand-eye, balance, social skills?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Softball fencing martial arts XC

This plus swimming