Family outdoor sports activities are essential and should be included in the daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly schedules. Doing activities together keeps your family close and makes you energetic, stronger, fitter, and more active. Outdoor activities, such as basketball, baseball, bike riding, etc., are fun and advantageous to the body. This sort of exercise makes your body more relaxed while also toning your muscles.
Your body needs to be active for at least a few minutes a day. Evidence has shown that when your body becomes active, you develop more confidence, self-esteem, and social skills that will help you tackle life’s challenges.
Being associated with outdoor activities also makes life happier and benefits you physically. If you find it difficult or can’t find your way to exercise, you can sign up for private archery lessons to acquire some valuable skills. If that doesn’t interest you, below are family outdoor sports activities to try.
1. Athletics
Athletics consists of many things—jumping, running, throwing, and others. This offers a broader range of sports that allows you and your family to exercise your feet, hands, muscles, and joints without having to use sports equipment. Create mini-teams to enable competition and fun during the game.
Athletics helps your family, especially the kids, to focus on the target and scoring, thus improving overall coordination. Similarly, sports are essential to your child’s overall body functionality. For example, swimming requires whole-body coordination for the activity to be successful.
You should encourage more athletic routines in your home and for your kids to explore activities they might enjoy. You can try family skateboard lessons and practice together. Alternatively, you can also try to learn at home by watching
2. Basketball
Basketball is a sport that has it all: jumping, throwing, running, catching, and dodging. However, there is a belief about basketball that only tall people can play. While that may be true for professional leagues, there’s no height requirement when playing recreationally.
You don’t need a full basketball court in your home, either. If you’re still trying the sport, you can install a basketball ring in your backyard and start playing! Along with the exercise and family bonding, this outdoor sport might even motivate a child to aim for playing basketball professionally.
3. Cycling
Cycling, among other activities, is fun to do. It’s one way to strengthen your family’s bond. Unlike other sports, cycling doesn’t have an age limit, meaning you can invite your kid’s grandparents to join in too!
Of course, you still have to put your kids in the proper gear and teach them the basics. It’s also best to ride nearby them with a first aid kit ready. You can start with shorter distances if it’s their first time cycling.
Cycling strengthens the legs and core. Not only that, it can teach your kids to be independent on the bike and even develop a lifelong habit of cycling!
If you haven’t cycled with the whole family or your kids before, here are some pre-riding safety tips to remember:
- Start with the most inexperienced member’s comfort zone; this will probably e a fat and paved area that’s well away from traffic and only a few miles long
- Slowly, increase the incline, number of obstacles, and distance of your cycling excursions; you may also want to scout out some unpaved trails to try out after some days
- Make sure that everyone has had enough sleep the night before the cycling session
- The cyclists should also have had a decent meal around an hour prior to starting the cycling in order to avoid any weakness or lightheadedness
- Perform the yawn test on each child—if they yawn while wearing their helmet properly, the helmet should come down a little. The helmets should be a snug fit and at about an inch or so above the eyebrows
- Children might want to have low seats when they start cycling, but their legs should be at the bottom of the rotation cycle when fully extended; anything lower than that might cause health issues and exhaustion
- Everyone should be dressed in layers, so that they can take something off if the weather gets too hot but still have protection in case it’s colder than you expected
- Bring along water bottles, snacks, and sunscreen
- Perform the ABC check—the tires should have enough air, the brakes should be working properly, and the chain should be properly lubed
- Bring important kits along, including a tire repair and first aid kit
- Learn how to make minor repairs yourself, such as fixing slipped bike chains or flat tires
4. Soccer
Soccer has been a people’s favorite for a very long time. Whether indoors or outdoors, rain or shine, you can easily organize a team with your family members and neighbors to practice your skills. Soccer doesn’t require many essentials—just a ball, some shoes, and goalkeeper’s gloves.
Soccer is a brilliant way to exercise your muscles and build lower-body strength. If you want more help getting started, you can look for soccer tutors in your area to help you and your kids learn the basic rules. And once you’ve become more familiar, you can start playing soccer games with your neighbors and extended family!
5. Dancing
Dancing is both considered art and sport. You can do it anywhere—schools, churches, and at home! It’s a fun activity that has no entry barrier and gets your heart and mind excited.
Dancing is also a way of expressing joy, creativity, emotions, and imagination. It increases your body’s flexibility, stamina, physical strength, and coordination. One advantage of dancing is that you don’t need any essentials or a specialized dance floor.
6. Hockey
Hockey is an outdoor sport that gets your body parts and mind moving as you develop coordination with the other partner. Hockey is an end-to-end sport, and its pace is faster. All you need are team members, a hockey puck, sticks, and some skills. But there’s something for everyone to try, and it doesn’t require perfection to play hockey.
There are different types of hockey: some include walking hockey, field hockey, and ice hockey. If you want to explore the latter, you will need to find a nearby ice rink. But if you try it at home, you can simply look at online video tutorials to learn how to play.
Conclusion
Playing outdoor sports with your family isn’t just about becoming more energetic, healthier, and physically fit. It’s also about having fun and boosting your mental health. Your body needs to be active for at least one hour a day or more. Sport is an idea for family bonding.
We’ve listed some ideas for outdoor sports activities you can enjoy with your kids. Engaging in these can build stronger bonds within families. And once you’ve found an outdoor sport you enjoy, you can make it into a regular routine.