What Sport Is Your Daughter Involved In?

i echo the suggestion of acting classes, which benefit kids in so many ways whether or not they ever participate in a play.
but i'd like to toss horseback riding into the mix! at a commercial barn there are usually lots of other girls and opportunities for social fun, as well as group projects like drill, dressage or gymkhana teams.
khairete
S.

Hi,
at that age I really enjoyed swimming. I also suffered from asthma and allergies. I joined a synchronized swimming team and all of those problems dissappeared...
my daughter is only 2 right now...so I really can only go on my own experiences!
good luck and let her choose what she is interested in!

When I was her age I was in ballet, gymnastics, girl scouts, and softball. My daughter just turned 9 and also has asthma. She was in soccer for a year and decided it wasn't really her thing. She has also done t-ball/softball, girl scouts, and community theater.

My daughter took a small acting class. She loved it. I put her in it because she's a single child at this time and wanted to spend time with other kids. I also put in the the art classes they give out at our local art school and some summer class that provide at the library. They are all free. The acting class was donations. We don't have the money for paying for active classes but really around here all they have in soccer or baseball which i don't think she would be very interested. She wanted swimming and Gymnastics but they are both expensive and we can't afford it. The gymnastics classes around here though you can't watch the children which I don't agree with anyway. Good luck

Hi, G. - Sorry not to have an answer to your question, but I'm curious about your business. I have my own business too and love to compare notes and ideas with other business owners. Yes - isn't it awesome to work from home??? :) Maybe we can do business together! With mine, we might be able to help your daughter with her asthma! Take care. Will hope to hear from you.
P.S. I am planning a home-based business fair for the fall. where are you located? N.
____@____.com

My daughter is 6 and starting her 4th year of dance. She also loves to be around other girls and involved, but has tried other things (tball, swimming, gymnastics, soccer, swimming) and seems to LOVE dance. It is a team effort, and because it is indorrs, it is not something that messes with her seasonal allergies. Has your daughter tried that?? I think you are going about it right to introduce her to al ot and let her kind of guide you to what she wants to do :). Good luck!

I have a 9yr old daughter. She has tried everything "standard". We are now weeding down to her favorites because our wallets can't take the strain anymore having 2 other kids. She dances year round and swims year round. She also does Basketball and Softball.

I would have to admit that my daughter is overbooked. Currently, she does tkd (has done this for 3 years), ice skating, and Mandarin Chinese as evening / weekend activities. This summer, she has also done a week of science camp, two weeks of Mandarin Chinese camp (half day), and one week of cheerleading / dance camp.
Last year, she did tkd, swimming (did for 2 years), and soccer (1 year of both fall / winter teams and school break clinics). She did all of this while also having gone to a school that did not have an age group cut off date in September the previous year so she got into public school a year earlier than she otherwise would have.
In the past she has enjoyed yoga and gymnastics, but that was just a session or two here and thre. The only one of her activities she did not enjoy was soccer. There is nothing wrong with soccer, just my daughter did not enjoy it for herself.
This upcoming year, she will do tkd including demo team, swimiming, Mandarin Chinese, pre-Latin and art. If we can coordinate scheduling with a ukulele teacher, she will additionally do ukulele. It is a bit much, but she also has a shorter school day due to virtual pubic schooling. I really want her to be exposed to at least a couple of other cultures in a way that shows the good things about each one: hence the tkd, uke, Mandarin language and pre-latin games things. Have a good day!

I noticed a couple of other moms mentioned dance -- You might consider dance classes. I've found that girls who like gymnastics sometimes like dance as well. Bear in mind that, if your daughter isn't interested in ballet, for instance, there are hip-hop classes, tap classes, etc. Dance is more a "team sport" than people sometimes realize and she'll meet a lot of other kids there. It can be expensive depending on the type of class but you can find 10-week-long sessions in places like the county recreation centers. If you're in Fairfax County, try the Parktakes section of the county web site, under the Parks and Recreation section. I also hear good things about all kinds of martial arts including TKD and karate, but with either dance or martial arts, be sure to stick around and see how the teachers handle the kids etc. One teacher can be great for your child and another too rigid or too slack, etc. You know best what works for her!

My daughter,now 11,swims and dives in the summer, plays does soccer in the spring/fall and does ice skating, downhill and cross country skiing in the winter. She is in an active Girl Scout troop year round, which allows her to bike, canoe, ski, hike, camp, etc. I know the swimming will help your daughter with her breathing/asthma issues.

My daughter does gymnastics competitively and it is a team sport, if the gym promotes it right. Even in regular classes, our gym promotes support and enthusiasm among the other gymnasts, creating a team feel. There is a "recreational team" at many gyms which allows kids to continue with their gymnastics at a level higher than classes but not as intense as the competitive kids. Soccer and swim team are things that all of my kids are or have been involved in and these are great for supporting sportsmanship etc. find what your daughter loves and stick with it. My son is not as into athletics as my girls, so we do a lot with the cub scouts, which he thoroughly enjoys.

I don't have a daughter, but I am one myself! lol!

Anyways, I always played soccer, from the time I was 5 until I graduated from High School in fact. I loved it. Soccer doesn't have sustained running. It's all short burst running. I'm now coaching my son's soccer team and last season I had a team of nine children, only three of them were boys. Girls are out in force in soccer these days and they're doing great at it. Something to maybe try with your daughter if she's interested.

Hi G.,

I have a 5 yr old and she has done dance, gymnastics, soccer and ice skating. This fall she will be focusing on soccer and ice skating. She loves them both equally. Another sport you might want to try which is a little less running is lacrosse. A friend of mine has her daughter on a lacrosse team and she loves it. When I was that age, I twirled baton, soccer and as I got older loved volleyball. Twirling can be a team sport, you just have to check out what is available. Best wishes to you and your daughter on finding her passion, I'm enjoying the journey myself.

Take care,
D. M.

My daughter is in cheerleading. I know lots of people do not consider this a sport but it is! She has cheered since she was 4yrs old (she's almost 12 now)and loves it. We involve lots of tumbling in our routines as well as conditioning to build strength, flexability and speed. These girls (and boys btw)are amazing. There are lots of full time, year round gyms that do competition cheering as well so it's not just sideline cheering. We are a rec league but do competetions as well, so there are lots of options. Good luck!

My friend's daughter is on a ice hockey team. That and swimming would be my suggestions.
L.

My daughter is grown now but she is still very active. She took 2 years of ballet. She played on a t-ball team. As she was growing up, she particpated in co-ed baseball and football. She was in Girl Scouts. She played highschool softball (both during the school year and in summer). She also played high school basketball and was MVP one year. She tried out for and made the high school wrestling team but was unable to be on the team because of conflicts with softball. She was also on the high school track team. She was a junior coach for a summer league girls softball team. She went to college on a softball scholarship where she played as catcher, 3rd base or shortstop. She is a certified scuba diver. My daughter also has seasonal allergies, but a series of allergy shots helped out VERY much.
When you look at some of the sports she has played - you probably get the wrong mental image of her physical size.
She is 4 ft 11 inches tall and weighs 98 lbs. She is now an officer in the military and a mom with a one year old daughter.
We did not force her to do any of this. We guided her but let her make her own choices.