Which Sports Are Best For Children?

If your main interest is ensuring that your kids burn plenty of energy then you might like to begin by thinking about how many calories they'll be burning. Although this may not give the full picture, it can be seen as a useful starting point.

Most of the figures available for the calories that are used actually tend to relate to adult sporting performance. Despite this, we might see these figures as providing a useful guide.

Some of the best sports for burning calories include badminton, squash and tennis. If you've ever played any of these sports yourself, then you'll have a very good idea as to why this should be the case! In tennis, for instance, you tend to spend an enormous amount of time chasing after the ball. In fact, you are rarely static during a tennis match.

But it is worth noting that children may not play at the same high tempo. There's a good chance that your kids will require tuition in order to pick up the basics of these sports. This may be less active, so there's value to be found in talking to an instructor about this first.

You may also want to think about how easy these sports are to play. Kids can become bored pretty easily, as many of us know! You'll want to be sure that your own children will enjoy them enough to keep on playing. If they get frustrated easily, then you may find that these aren't the right sports for them.

Fortunately, there are plenty of other great choices that are easy to get involved in and that still promote plenty of exercise. Swimming and cycling are two excellent options. Most kids tend to like at least one of these activities.

Both are really good choices in terms of burning calories, with it being estimated that cycling can burn up to 600 calories per hour. The great thing about riding a bike is that it's also an incredibly accessible activity. Most children will have the opportunity to ride a bike, also allowing them to mix with other kids.

There is, however, a vital element that's missing from this discussion. It's all very well to focus on calories and the health benefits of these sports, but having fun should be central to any of these activities. If your kids don't have fun then they are unlikely to keep on taking part.

So don't focus too much on how many calories they'll be burning. Take this as a starting point and then take a look at what your kids really enjoy doing.