Physical Activity for Kid Who Does Not like Sports

I didn't force my daughter to do a sport EC. She wasn't particularly athletic, and didn't like team or solo sports.
But she played outside, she walked the dog, she rode her bike, she roller skated around the neighborhood.

Can't he just go skiing without being on a team?
You can push 'doing something physical' without pushing being on any sort of team
Rock climbing
walking/running (track maybe when he's in high school?)
bike riding
skate boarding
skating (ice and or roller) - he does not have to play hockey
Some boys do take dancing - I've seen them perform clogging and tap dancing.
You can always put a hoop out in the driveway and let him shoot baskets (and he doesn't have to be on a basket ball team).
He can also jump rope (boxers do it) and have fun with a pogo stick (we had one when we were growing up).

I agree with walking. My kids don't like to do sports, and as long as they find an activity to stay healthy, I'm fine with that. Sports can be very overrated, in my opinion.

Hiking, canoeing, kayaking, skating. high ropes course, rock climbing or bike riding.

How about a karate kid type of approach? There are a number of household/ outdoor maintenance type of things which are physically demanding.

sweep/ mop
wash windows
clean the car
wax the furniture
shovel snow
rake leaves
mow, using a manual mower
stain & polish wood etc.
move landscape rocks & build a fire pit.

It doesn't have to be sporty at all to be physical.
Best,
F. B.

Just have him join you and/or your husband in staying active.
What's YOUR routine? Do you play tennis or golf? Bring him along.
We always took our kids on long weekend hikes, usually with our dog. WAY more fun being out exploring nature than being stuck in a class/activity you hate.
We also went on bike rides and spent time plenty of time at the pool and exploring the city, beaches, etc.
Not everyone enjoys sports you know. My daughters did but my son didn't really take to anything other than rec tennis and then when he was in high school he got into track and cross country.
They also did classes at the community center, art, music, carpentry, science, cooking and theater. Why don't you expose him to some things like that?

How about start going walking as a family every day. Sign up for a 5K as a fun goal to shoot for and slowly start adding distance. He can bring ear phones with a good book or his favorite music.

If he's not a physical guy, then maybe encourage him to do things he likes. My SD did dance for gym class and liked it, and she also did a lot of physical work either dancing in musicals or building sets and doing stage crew. But she did not play a sport like her brother did. Wasn't her thing. I was never one for organized sports, but I did enjoy biking around with friends or going on hikes. Maybe start a family bike ride or nightly walk instead of making it be an organized thing. Don't discount mowing the lawn, walking the dog, walking home from school...It sounds like he's simply not a competitive kid so I would look for other ways to encourage physical activity.

How about Geocacheing? It's fun, gets him outside, and it's physical. My boys love it.

My 10yo son doesn't like team sports much, but loves playing basketball in the backyard. He also loves trampolines (I know this is somewhat controversial on here). He's a golfer, and loves hiking, too. We live on a small farm, and there are always chores to be done. That keeps him active. He plays with our large dog all the time. He swims several times a week during the summer, and plays ping-pong every afternoon year round. He also climbs (trees, jungle gyms, anything that he can).

Do you ever take him hiking?
Rollerblading/skating
Biking
Trampolining
Laser Tag
Paint Ball
Obstacle courses
Neighborhood play - we would play "Ditch" which is basically team "hide & seek" and we covered a lot of ground each time we played it.

Around here there are lots of indoor sports places starting to offer kids fitness classes; kind of like crossfit for kids. They mix it up a lot, so it keeps them interested, and they get a good workout without any competition. That might be an option for him.

How about going for family walks every night?
Also, go for family hikes. (Exercise as a fun outing).
Not all kids are "sports" people.
I wasn't (tried 4 diff sports but they didn't take) and I am a very active
adult & loved to exercise once I turned 18!
So hang in there & try different things.
Bike riding together as a family or just you & your son.

There is nothing wrong with leaving it up to him. I just tell my kids that it's not electronics time (which includes handheld games, the computer, and the TV). With those things off the table, they are pretty good at coming up with their own ideas, and those ideas always involve moving (basketball in the driveway (not as a sport, but just shooting by themselves), bike riding, skateboarding, playing catch, etc).

Sign him up door some dance classes. My son started at 8 in a hip hop class and lived it. Make it something he can do with out competing he might like it more. Something that's not team/competition oriented.

If he doesn't want to do organized sports,how about requiring him to ride x distance on his bike daily. Send him to the store or something. Or, send him walking around the block or, (shutter) make him walk home from school. There are a lot of things that he can do. Yard Work. It really doesn't need to be organized sports.

If he is up for a 5K look for one with activities like a mud run, color run, obstacle course etc. most are not even timed just a fun way to get messy be active and challenge yourself. What about a class like Zumba, crossfit, etc. Most city parks and rec have them. My daughter likes team sports but likes to take time off. Our city does a volleyball class (I know its a team sport but it is not set up that way) where they teach and learn skills. It in a group setting of up to 20 kids but there are usually only 8 or so there. They do the same for soccer and basketball too. When we are between seasons we do a lot of dance dance revolution on the wii. Talk about a workout!

In our area there are recreation centers and health clubs that offer indoor rock climbing and some even have rock climbing clubs and classes for kids of various ages. It's about the kid versus the climbing wall, period. A good instructor will tell your son how it's about him doing his own personal best, not about competing with other kids. I would really look into it for him. Even if there aren't classes or clubs, a lot of places just offer climbing sessions on a pay-as-you-go basis. Eventually he might even want to do rock climbing outside -- since you're in the Southwest, there surely is a lot of opportunity for that.

Does he ride a bike? Get bikes for the whole family (or at least for one parent) and go on family bike rides. Make them longer each time. Start biking on weekends to an interesting destination -- if you present it as "You have to go on this ride to get exercise" he is likely to resist and grumble, but if it's all about "We're going to bike to and from the harvest festival/mall/downtown/whatever he likes" then he's focused on the destination and not the "required" exercise.

You said he enjoyed ski team so why not let him ski without the team aspect? He liked the training,, so get him some one on one ski lessons rather than pushing a team aspect. It sounds as if he would ski but does not want to compete at it -- so don't expect him to compete.

I have a couple of friends whose kids this age (and younger) take golf lessons and love it. Again, unless you're doing a golf team, it's more about doing your personal best against your own self than about being judged against a bunch of teammates or being expected to score against other kids.

Try to set aside any ideas you or dad have that boys must do an organized team sport. He already shows interest in skiing, so pursue that for winter, and see about climbing. Don't tell him "we're looking at this as a possible exercise for you" but just say, "Let's take one friend to the climbing center just for fun" and see how he likes it.

He may be feeling pushed and pushed to get exercise and that may be behind some of his resistance. He may be saying no because he feels pressured to do a team sport and pressured to do things that involve a lot other kids and a lot of coaching. If you ramp back the "rule" about activity and just start taking him out with you and/or dad and/or siblings and friends (yes, let him invite friends!) just to ride or climb or ski for fun, he may be much more amenable to doing it.

Maybe he is not into sports. Have you tried a musical instrument?

Ice skating can be very physical. My daughter works up a good sweat while ice skating.

Also, I can sign my daughter up for a triathlon for about $35 and we train for free.

Wrestling is a really good winter activity.
Here, kids can train & condition and they can choose how many (if at all) meets in which they participate.
A basketball hoop is really good at that age because they can shoot around, play horse, etc.
Running?
Fall baseball programs are usually more instructional than competitive.
What about golf? Good for individual play because you compete against yourself. Hitting a bucket or two of balls is good exercise!
Lots of driving ranges have reasonably priced lessons, too.

My son is the same way. I worked on finding things of interest to him. He doesn't like active sports, but he loves nature, science, and animals. He now spends lots of time outside, exploring, growing a garden, and walking his dog. It doesn't have to be sport related to have then be physically active. It's also good for their mental health!

Our daughter sounds EXACTLY like your child. She was not very coordinated, takes after me. So team sports were really tough for her, yes, many times she was the last one picked.

But she did end up loving Rowing! Yes, in Texas there are actual sculls and rowing clubs. She even designed a t-shirt for the club!

Beginning in middle school, she opted out of PE and took extra classes at school and would go 5 days a week to rowing (yes she also got school credit for this) in Downtown Austin. She did this all the way through high school! (I once saw a chicken cross form the boat house across the running trail to get to the lake to eat bugs and drink water!)

She found that she loved it, even when on the team scull she loved it. She even won a medal at a competition in Oklahoma! In college she was accepted to the College rowing team. for a kid that was not athletic, she made it work for her.

Our daughter also enjoyed hitting tennis balls at the tennis course. She loved to roller skate. I bet she would love skiing, but we have never been. In college she discovered Snow shoes and doing the trails.

For skiing do they do a lot of running for training? Maybe as family you all could take up some jogging/ running. Get up in the morning and run for 30 minutes, or in the evenings? Build up to charity runs where there are no winners, but for good causes.

Boxing is big here in town, Martial arts.

You could be talking about my son! We seem to have finally found a couple things for him. Our YMCA has a fantastic track and field program in the spring and summer. He is better at the field events, but will still do sprinting (and comes in last but he doesn't care). We have stressed that his goal is to beat his personal best.

He also took a fencing camp this summer and loved it so much he is taking it every week now.

Good luck. It's hard to not have a sporty kid sometimes.

I think you should go to the library and check out some books on family fitness. Like others have said, family activities like taking a walk, going for a bike ride, etc...all these things are ways of building a cohesive family and a stronger healthier body for you too.

Have you taken him anywhere to see BMX? I found several tracks around you but most are a bit of a drive. Most families travel for BMX and a lot of those families have moms, dads, siblings, that also race. It's a great deal of fun and is rewarding in and of itself.

I'd take him and let him try once. Any track should have a helmet he can borrow and someone would let him borrow their bike. Please know though, if he wrecks it you should replace it and those bikes are priced in the hundreds.

lacrosse, fencing, crew, tennis, chess

My parents discouraged sports as a kid and I wish they had not. I would look at the activities available in your area for say the winter season and research a sport that interests your son or see if your son has a friend who is involved in the sport and they can go as buddies. Sports are not for everyone but physical activity is important. I love the idea of signing the family up for a 5K and working towards that goal. There area abunch of apps avaiable on a phone for training that are alot of fun along wtih some downloaded new music could be motivation.