What kind of sports are suitable for girls: which sports are appropriate for certain ages?
Most often, parents choose sports for girls according to their own taste, and not according to the interests of their daughter. Guided by the prestige of a particular sport or by their own childhood dreams, parents bear the risk of discouraging their child from playing sports. Read this article in full in order to be sure to decide on the right sports activity for your daughter.
When choosing the appropriate extra-curricular activity for a girl, take into account the distance of the sports place from home, as well as other safety factors. In order not to worry about your child when they are on route and to have the possibility to connect with them at any moment, download the “Findmykids” app or purchase a smartwatch for children for your young athlete.
Contents:
- What should attention be directed towards when choosing the right sports activities for a girl?
- Тop-10 best sports activities for girls
- What kind of sports should girls suffering from health issues opt for?
- What kind of sports extracurricular activities should girls not be signed up to?
- Tips for parents
What should attention be directed towards when choosing the right sports activities for a girl?
Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com
Select the right sports activities according to the following factors:
- age;
- state of health;
- body constitution type;
- temper;
- interests.
These were the main criteria for choosing a sports extracurricular activity. Secondary criteria include the following:
- teacher qualification;
- the group;
- the distance between the sports club and your home;
- the timetable of activities;
- the cost and the price of the required equipment.
Set the ultimate goal before your daughter starts playing sports. Do you see her as a future sports star or do you just want to fill her time up with some useful activities?
The features of the body shape to be considered when choosing the right sports activity
Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com
The types of sports suitable for girls are practiced to achieve the following goals:
- weight loss;
- body shape improvement;
- overall strengthening of the body;
- improvement of flexibility and posture;
- coordination improvement.
If these tasks are a priority, opt for rhythmic gymnastics, tennis, figure skating or dance.
Parents looking for a pleasant and healthy hobby can enroll their daughter in cross-country skiing or mountain skiing, swimming, athletics and horse riding.
Аsthenic, normosthenic or hypersthenic body type —what kind of body type does your daughter have?
The best options for girls with a normosthenic body constitution will be the following:
- ballroom dancing;
- gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics;
- pair figure ice skating;
- synchronized swimming.
Normosthenic girls have got a proportional body shape, slim legs, a thin waist and normal height.
The best options for girls with an asthenic body constitution will be the following:
- cycling;
- rowing;
- athletics;
- skiing;
- basketball;
- volleyball.
Their features include a slender body, flat chest, long arms and legs.
The best options for girls with a hypersthenic body type will be the following:
- stage, sports, traditional or modern dance;
- martial arts;
- swimming;
- horse riding;
- kids’ yoga.
Hyposthenic people have heavy and wide bones, voluminous shoulders, a wide, but short chest. Their height is average or below average. This type of physique tends to be overweight, therefore physical activity will help to maintain the optimum body shape. Keep in mind that such girls are not flexible, but they have more endurance than their peers.
When choosing the appropriate extra-curricular activity for a girl, take into account the distance of the sports place from home, as well as other safety factors. In order not to worry about your child when they are on route and to have the possibility to connect with them at any moment, download the “Findmykids” app or purchase a smartwatch for children for your young athlete.
Choosing the age-appropriate sports activity for the child
The table below indicates the minimum age starting from which the child can start practicing a certain type of sports activity:
Тop-10 best sports activities for girls
Girls are most often signed up for ballroom dancing, swimming, figure ice skating, martial arts and basketball. Athletics, gymnastics, horseback riding, tennis, skiing, snowboarding, are also popular sports activity choices for girls.
Athletics
For girls starting from the age of 5 years old.
Advantages of athletics:
- strengthens the bone and muscular system;
- forms a beautiful posture and a habit of gracious walking;
- develops leadership qualities;
- improves endurance and overall immunity.
Disadvantages:
- high risk of injuries (dislocations, sprains, bruises);
- professional athletes suffer from joints and spine diseases.
Contra-indications to athletics:
- cardio-vascular system diseases;
- diabetes;
- chronic respiratory diseases;
- ADHD syndrome.
In order for such lessons to be productive, it is important to improve the child’s speed of reaction before starting to train. Their results and successes are highly dependent on this factor.
Gymnastics
Minimum age of the child – 3 years old.
Benefits of this sport:
- engages all muscle groups;
- develops artistic qualities and the ability of being in the spotlight;
- develops the graciousness of movements;
- develops taste;
- improves goal setting and a competitive spirit.
Disadvantages:
- delayed puberty due to intense physical activity;
- possibility of hormonal disruptions;
- frequent painful feeling (from stretching);
- exhaustion due to intense training and chronic fatigue.
Contraindications:
- musculoskeletal system issues;
- diseases of eyesight organs;
- heart diseases;
- diabetes.
Rhythmic gymnastics involves performances in beautiful outfits. Therefore, parents should be prepared for additional spending on clothing.
Horseback riding
Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com
This type of sports is appropriate for girls starting from the age of 9 years old.
Benefits of horseback riding:
- develops the flexibility of the body;
- improves posture;
- strengthens the immune system by increasing the duration of being on the outdoors;
- eliminates chronic diseases of the cardiovascular and the respiratory system;
- enhances stress resistance;
- enriches the emotional sphere;
- improves agility and thirst for knowledge.
Disadvantages:
- highly traumatic;
- requires the purchase of expensive protective equipment.
Contraindications:
- thrombosis, thrombophlebitis and other vascular diseases (since horse riding inevitably involves shaking);
- allergic reactions to animals;
- hernia of the spine.
Тennis
Girls can start playing tennis starting from the age of just 5 years old.
Benefits from training:
- strengthening of the muscular system;
- improvement of agility and concentration;
- endurance enhancement;
- attention improvement;
- strengthening of the eyesight organs;
- formation of the feeling of responsibility and self-discipline.
Disadvantages:
- strong strain on the joints of the legs and arms;
- high risk of injuries from the ball.
Contraindications:
- spinal hernia;
- heart diseases;
- musculoskeletal system issues.
Consult a doctor prior to signing up your daughter to any sports in order for this activity to be fully beneficial for your child.
Winter sports and snowboarding
Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com
Such sports are appropriate for girls from the age of 7 years old.
Benefits:
- works out all muscle groups;
- develops coordination and a sense of balance, which forms the correct posture;
- strengthens the immunity;
- increases endurance and performance;
- forms positive character traits.
Disadvantages:
- seasonality (during the warm season, you will have to look for specially equipped sites or to use roller equipment);
- at first, children may experience frequent illnesses caused by training in the cold.
Contraindications:
- diseases of the respiratory system;
- diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
“Winter” sports are not straightforward from a technical standpoint, but the choice of existing types of it will help to find the best option for every girl. These include skiing, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, and snowboarding.
Ballroom dancing
Normally, children are accepted into ballroom dancing starting from as little as 3.5 years old.
Benefits:
- develops artistry, a sense of rhythm and an ear for music;
- works out the whole body;
- increases self-confidence;
- development of gracefulness and correct posture;
- strengthening of the respiratory and the cardiovascular system;
- development of endurance and resistance to stressful situations;
- a small number of injuries.
Contraindications — spine problems and excess weight.
Disadvantages:
- an expensive sport in which, in addition to the fees of a coach, you need to pay for costumes and travel towards the competitions sites;
- training and performances take a lot of time, which makes it difficult to combine classes with studying at school;
- it is difficult to find a dance partner and to continue in this field once the dance couple splits.
When signing a girl up for ballroom dancing, you must be prepared to buy appropriate shoes, a midi skirt, and a special sports suit. In subsequent years, heels and dance costumes will be required.
Swimming
Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com
Despite the fact that swimming classes accept children starting from the age of 3-4 years old, it is best to sign the children up for it after the age of 5 years old once their body becomes stronger.
Benefits:
- strengthens the immune system and improves overall health;
- develops all of the muscles of the body and the musculoskeletal system;
- develops endurance;
- strengthens the body;
- accelerates the coordination of movements;
- develops the muscles engaged in the respiratory system.
Swimming is useful for children with problems with blood circulation, and with diseases of the musculoskeletal and nervous system. Lessons at the swimming pool also take place in order to prevent diseases of the respiratory system.
Disadvantages:
- pool water is disinfected with bleach, which provokes allergic reactions and the development of asthma;
- there is a high risk of contracting fungus in public places;
- swimmers often suffer from rhinitis and skin diseases;
- poorly dried hair after swimming can cause frequent colds.
Swimming is contraindicated for children suffering from the following diseases:
- asthma;
- lung diseases;
- infectious and virus diseases;
- diseases of the eye mucosa;
- heart disease.
In order for your daughter to be a frequent visitor of swimming lessons, you will need to buy a rubber cap, a one-piece swimsuit, rubber slippers, and bath accessories.
Figure ice skating
Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com
The right sports for girls starting from the age of 4 years old and up.
Benefits:
- develops agility and stability;
- speeds up the metabolism;
- improves blood circulation;
- strengthens the immunity;
- trains leg muscles;
- develops a musical ear, creativity and communication skills.
Disadvantages:
- traumatic sport;
- ice arenas are available only in big cities;
- difficult to combine with studies at school;
- expensive uniform and high fees for coaches;
- several exhausting workouts daily;
- a lack of free time.
Figure skating has got the following contraindications:
- myopia;
- spine problems;
- lung injuries;
- asthma;
- head injuries;
- blood circulation and kidney problems.
Parents need to buy ice skates that are adapted to the growing size of the foot, a set of thermal underwear, a tracksuit, knee pads and protective shorts. The set of clothing that protects from the cold includes a suit, a headband, socks and gloves.
Martial arts
Girls starting from the 5-6 years old can be signed up for this sport.
Benefits:
- improves endurance, flexibility, movement coordination and reaction;
- teaches self-defense and self-control;
- allows to let out accumulated emotions;
- inexpensive sports gear and clothing.
Disadvantages:
- high risk of injuries;
- strict discipline.
Martial arts are contraindicated for girls that suffer from myopia, chronic diseases, problems with the heart, kidneys and musculoskeletal system.
Basketball
Benefits:
- develops the spine;
- improves the functioning of the cardiovascular and the respiratory systems;
- forms the correct posture;
- improves endurance;
- improves reaction, movement coordination and accuracy;
- develops the team spirit;
- develops the logic and the ability to communicate;
- allows to make decisions quickly;
- a low-budget type of sports.
Disadvantages:
- risk of injury;
- the impossibility to lose.
Basketball is contraindicated for children with asthma, flat feet, unstable cervical vertebrae and gastric ulcer disease.
What kind of sports should girls suffering from health issues opt for?
Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com
Sports activities chosen according to child’s preferences are frequented by children that do not have any particular contraindications to them.
The reasons to refrain from taking part in various sports activities:
- Bad eyesight is the reason not to sign up your child to tennis and biathlon.
- Severe myopia – avoid weightlifting and highly traumatic sports, which are most often the case in martial arts and horse riding.
- Problems with the musculoskeletal system are a major contraindication of gymnastics.
- Cardiovascular diseases do not allow to practice all cardio sports such as athletics, skiing, and speed skating.
- Skin diseases are incompatible with swimming lessons.
Recommended sports for girls suffering from various diseases:
- Yoga and pilates for children are suitable for toddlers with diseases of the nervous system.
- Swimming is suitable for anyone who has got no contraindications to it. This is a widely adopted sport that allows for an increase of strength and that will be useful at any age.
- Winter sports increase immunity and improve the body’s natural defense mechanisms.
- Cardio training is recommended to strengthen the heart and blood vessels and enhance lung development. However, it needs to be practiced with the permission of the doctor.
What kind of sports extracurricular activities should girls not be signed up to?
Remember that playing sports should bring benefits and not harm to your child. Do not damage your child’s childhood – do not force them to play a sport they do not enjoy and do not overload them with excessive loads. The “Archive of Disease in Childhood” magazine published a study on the impact of sports on adolescent health, carried out by a group of scientists from Canada and Switzerland. Researchers concluded that kids who practiced between 3.6 and 10.5 hours of physical activity per week felt well, while adolescents who did more of that time, or, on the contrary, less, felt unwell.
Discuss what kind of sports activities would the girl be interested in. Under the condition of a satisfactory state of health and in the event of a lack of ideas for sports for your child, take their personality type into account.
Personality types for the choice of a sports activity
Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com
Choleric people are characterized by impulsiveness, rapid excitability and frequent mood swings. They are easily offended and hypersensitive, however, they are very responsible. Team sports are highly suitable for such children, such as football, basketball and volleyball.
Sanguine people are friendly, calm and have a lightning-fast reaction. They are interested in the feeling of excitement that arises in overcoming internal and external obstacles. They will prove themselves to be good in fencing, rock climbing, tennis and other individual sports if they are taught by a good coach.
Phlegmatic people are unbothered, calm and assiduous. They enjoy sedentary sports: chess, checkers, e-sports. Instead of placing phlegmatic children at the chessboard, enroll them in athletics, cycling or skiing. When they will grow up, they will gladly play a game of chess, but as children, they need to engage in more physical activity.
Melancholic people are calm and balanced. These are the so-called “home lovers” who are more interested in communicating with their mother rather than playing sports. It is not easy for them to play active games at the age of primary school. From the age of 11 years old, they may become interested in individual sports, but before that, lessons in general physical development and gymnastics will prove to be useful to them.
Tips for parents
Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com
Choose a sport that would be useful and interesting for your child and affordable for your budget. Before signing up for a sports class, go through a medical examination with your child and study the schedule of classes. If you immediately find out that you are unable to bring your child to classes or that these lessons will be clashing with studies at school in the future, we strongly recommend you to reconsider your choice. Meet the trainers and find out how they provide first aid in the event of an emergency, as this is of utmost importance.
A child’s predisposition to a particular sport becomes easily distinguishable at the age of 5-7 years old. When sending a girl to the sports section at an earlier age, parents rely on their instincts. Sports activities should reveal your child’s natural features. If you enroll your daughter in a class before the age of 5 years old, take into account their body type and personality types.
Read more:
- How to teach your child to swim quickly and without fear?
- Morning exercise for kids – a healthy and joyful moment!
- «Mom, I’m scared»: how to help a child cope with their fear?
- Teaching your child to ride the bicycle in a quick and easy manner
- A guide to potentially dangerous apps all parents should be aware of
Проверьте электронный ящик
