List of sports A – Z

1. Individual sports

• Alpine skiing
• Archery
• Billiards
• Bocce ball
• Bodysurfing
• Bowling
• Canoeing
• Cross-country skiing
• Cycling
• Dog sledding
• Diving
• Fishing
• Fly-fishing
• Golf
• Hacky sack
• Hang gliding
• Mountaineering
• Horse Riding
• Ice skating
• Japanese sword arts
• Kayaking
• Kickboxing
• Motocross racing
• Mountain biking
• Parachuting
• Parasailing
• Pilates
• Qi gong
• Rafting
• Rock climbing
• Rollerblading
• Rope climbing
• Rope jumping
• Rowing
• Sailing
• Scuba diving
• Shuffleboard
• Skimboarding
• Skydiving
• Sky surfing
• Sledding
• Snorkeling
• Snowboarding
• Snowmobile racing
• Snowshoeing
• Snow skiing
• Speed skating
• Surfing
• Swimming
• Tai chi
• Trapeze artistry
• Triathlon training
• Unicycling
• Wakeboarding
• Waterskiing
• Weight lifting
• Windsurfing
• Yoga

2. Team Sports

• Badminton
• Basketball
• Baseball
• Boxing
• Broomball
• Cheerleading
• Cricket
• Croquet
• Curling
• Fencing
• Field hockey
• Flag football
• Football
• Handball
• Hockey
• Hurling
• Jai alai
• Lacrosse
• Laser tag
• Lawn bowling
• Paintball
• Racquetball
• Rugby
• Soccer
• Softball
• Squash
• Synchronized swimming
• Table tennis
• Tennis
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

3. Gymnastic Games

• Acrobatic Gymnastics
• Balance beam
• Floor exercises
• High bar
• Parallel bars
• Pommel horse

• Rhythmic
• Still rings
• Trampoline
• Tumbling
• Uneven parallel bars
• Vault

Read more about the different types of gymnastics.

4. Martial Arts

a. Japanese Martial Arts

• Aikido
• Judo
• Jujutsu (jiu-jitsu)
• Karate
• Kendo

b. Indian Martial Arts

• Dravidian
• Gatka
• Kalaripayattu
• Kuttu varisai
• Varma kalai

c. Brazilian Martial Arts

• Capoeira
• Brazilian jiu-jitsu

d. Korean Martial Arts

• Hapkido
• Taekwondo

e. Chinese Martial Arts

• Bagua
• Drunken Boxing
• Eagle Claw
• Five Animals
• Hsing I
• Kung fu
• Lau Gar
• Monkey
• Praying Mantis
• Tai chi chuan
• White Crane
• Wing chun

List of Summer and Winter Olympic Sports

Here’s a list of sports that are part of the Olympic Games. Some of these sports are a part of the summer competition program, and others are played in the Winter Olympic Games.

Summer Olympic sports

• Archery
• Artistic swimming
• Athletics
• Badminton
• Basketball
• Beach volleyball
• Boxing
• Canoe slalom
• Canoe sprint
• Cycling: BMX)
• Cycling: Mountain Bike)
• Cycling: Road
• Cycling: Track
• Diving
• Equestrian: Dressage
• Equestrian: Eventing
• Equestrian: Jumping
• Fencing
• Football
• Golf
• Gymnastics: Artistic
• Gymnastics: Rhythmic
• Handball
• Hockey
• Judo
• Marathon Swimming
• Modern Pentathlon
• Rowing
• Rugby
• Sailing
• Shooting
• Swimming
• Table tennis
• Taekwondo
• Tennis
• Trampoline
• Triathlon
• Volleyball
• Water polo
• Weightlifting
• Wrestling: Freestyle
• Wrestling: Greco-Roman

Winter Sports

• Alpine Skiing
• Biathlon
• Bobsleigh
• Cross-country skiing
• Curling
• Figure skating
• Freestyle skiing
• Ice hockey
• Luge
• Nordic Combined
• Short track
• Skeleton
• Ski jumping
• Snowboarding
• Speed skating

The most popular sports in the world

Here are the most popular sports in the world nowadays, according to WorldAtlas.com.

General benefits of sports for kids

1. Games Teach Socialization

Teaching children how to develop relationships may not be something you’d normally think about when playing games, but games provide a great opportunity for kids to develop social skills such as sharing, showing respect, supporting teammates, controlling their emotions and more.

Playing a game can teach you all that and have practical applications as well, such as when you use a name game to introduce one child to another.

Game time is also an excellent time to reinforce a child’s listening skills.

For instance, when one child has a question about a game, be sure that all of the children listen to the explanation.

When playing games with kids, always remember to de-emphasize winning and competition and emphasize good sportsmanship.

2. Sports Provide Opportunities to Learn Self-Control

Children, at a young age, have a difficult time controlling their feelings and emotions.

Daily practice of a sport or game can help them learn this life skill, as it’ll teach them discipline.

Find the right moments to discuss handling frustration with your children.

For example, if a child loses his temper during a game, that’s the perfect moment for a conversation about this subject.

3. Promote Healthy Competition, Collaboration and Achieving Goals

Sports can be a great motivator to help children learn to achieve goals. Since there are both team sports and individual sports, the opportunities for children to achieve goals can come from collaboration and competition.

It is best to focus on the effort they put into their activity and how they can beat their personal best (eg. score, time, etc.). In team sports there are plenty of opportunities to improve one’s collaboration (eg passing the ball).

Another motivator sport naturally offers is competition. Young athletes can strive towards winning and when losing they can learn that that’s a natural part of sports as well. Prizes and awards like custom race medals can be handed out to make things even more interesting.

4. Learning the Rules of a New Game Can Teach Focus

Teaching your child how to play a new game can be challenging. Most kids have an attention span of about fifteen minutes, so as adults, we must be creative.

First, connect before you direct: Ask all of the kids in front of you to look you in your eyes first, and then begin talking to them.

Next, as you explain the game, stay brief, stay simple and ask the kids to repeat your requests back to you. Ask questions to be sure they were listening.

The games that work best for this age group are those that have just a few, simple rules, and preferably, require the children to complete only one task at a time.

Since adventure is everything for this age group, learning a new sport or skill can be an easy sell to kids. 

The act of learning a sport will teach kids to conquer fear, set goals and take risks.

 If you’re unfamiliar with some of the adventures provided in the lists above, research the rules of play, gather your equipment and have fun.

Indoor activities for kids

In case it’s a rainy day, or you just have a bunch of kids that really don’t like being outside, here we have a number of group and solo indoor activities for kids that are worth checking out.

Group indoor activities for kids

Let’s take a look at some of the best indoor activities for a small group of kids.

Duck, duck, goose

Duck, duck, goose. It’s always a great game to play, not to mention that it’s super easy, too. There are only a couple of rules, groups of three or more kids can play, it doesn’t take much effort and it provides lots of fun. As long as you have a small space where kids can run in circles around each other, it’s a great game to consider, and the kids will burn off some energy, too.

Musical chairs

Speaking of burning off some energy, musical chairs is always another good option. As long as you have enough chairs for all of the kids, minus one, this is another great indoor activity for your kids. Play their favorite songs and have them run around the chairs and claim their own every time the music stops, to see who the last one standing is.

Coloring posters

Coloring posters are like coloring pages except they’re really big, which makes them a wonderful group activity since they give kids the opportunity to express their creativity while collaboratively creating a work of art in a fun way that is non-competitive. We recommend Dekali Designs’ line of giant coloring posters since they are huge (35 x 52″) – big enough for a group of kids to work on together and they have a good amount of detail, which keeps kids entertained for a long time.

A theater production

If you have kids that enjoy art and theater, you could always have them put on a little play or a puppet show. This is something that should keep kids occupied for hours on end, because they can come up with their own little production, storyline, characters and more. Get out your video camera, because this can be pretty entertaining for parents to watch.

Hand shadow painting

As long as there are at least two kids, hand shadow painting is another great indoor activity. One child holds their hand up in front of a light to cast a shadow on the wall, and the other traces the hand. Your kids can then turn that hand silhouette into anything they see fit.

A mock auction

If you happen to have some Monopoly money laying around, or any other such fake cash, doing a mock auction where you auction off random items in your home can be a whole lot of fun, too.

Solo indoor activities for kids

Maybe you have a kid who likes to play alone, or just doesn’t have any siblings. In those cases, these solo indoor activities might be great for them.

Arts and crafts

There are so many different types of arts and crafts, from hand painting to macaroni art, that we aren’t going to get too specific here. The bottom line is that on a rainy day, some arts and crafts can be the perfect solution to keep the boredom at bay.

Build a fort

If you have some spare blankets, pillows, cardboard boxes and anything else of the sort, building an indoor fort or castle can be a lot of fun.

Puzzles

If you have a child who likes solving puzzles and using their brains, then choosing from a variety of puzzles can help pass a rainy afternoon, too.

Outdoor activities for kids

Now that we’ve got the indoors covered, let’s take a look at some of the best outdoor activities for kids.

Group outdoor activities for kids

As long as you have three or more kids, these outdoor group activities should do just fine to keep those little rascals busy.

Scavenger hunt

Hide a variety of random items or prizes, create a map and some instructions, and hide different clues around the area. Sometimes there’s just nothing better than an outdoor scavenger hunt to keep kids occupied and happy. The person who wins the scavenger hunt also gets a great little prize!

Hide and seek

Sometimes there’s just nothing better than a good old game of hide and seek. One person is the seeker and the rest of them hide. It really doesn’t get much simpler than that. It can pass a whole lot of time and it doesn’t cost any money, either.

Water balloon fight

If it’s a hot summer day, then a water balloon fight is something that every kid loves. It involves a whole lot of action, it’s exhilarating and it helps cool them down, too. As long as you don’t mind making a little bit of a mess in your backyard, a water balloon fight is always a great deal of fun.

Build an obstacle course

If you want your kids to be a little more active outdoors, having them build an obstacle course is a neat idea. You can have your kids build the obstacle course, or you can build it yourself, but the point is to have them compete to see who can navigate the obstacles the fastest and with the fewest infractions.

A storytelling circle

If you have some creative kids on your hands, and they don’t like being overly physical, doing a storytelling circle could be a whole lot of fun, too. This way, you get to see just how creative those kids can be.

Solo outdoor activities for kids

If you just have one child who needs to spend some time outdoors, the following activities can help keep them busy.

Paint a rock

Yes, rock art is still a thing. Get some watercolors or even some totally waterproof paints, find rocks that have really neat shapes, and start painting them. You’d be surprised what your kids can come up with.

Fly a kite

If you happen to have a bit of free space, and it’s a windy day, flying a kite can be a lot of fun. There are some pretty cool kites out there, and who knows, maybe your child will want to start a collection.

Sidewalk art

If you live somewhere that has a great sidewalk, getting some sidewalk chalk and having your child make their own work of art can be a fun and creative activity as well.

Solo treasure hunt

If you have a child who likes exploring, looking for clues, and solving mysteries, then setting up a little solo treasure hunt for them can help take away an afternoon of boredom. It will keep your child on their feet, their brain thinking and their little hands busy.

image: Pexels

Common moves performed in tumbling include rolls, somersaults, tucks, handstands, backbends, handsprings, leg splits, cartwheels and round-offs.

Tumbling helps children develop bilateral motor skills, balance and co-ordination, as well as cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility and agility.

In this article, For Kids will illustrate 10 games and moves that pertain to tumbling for kids and toddlers, which can be performed at home if you follow along with a YouTube video of each skill.

Tumbling for toddlers

Table of Contents

• 1. Tumbling basics
• 2. Tumbling Equipment
• 3. Safety tips
• 4. Ten Tumbling games
• 5. References

Tumbling for kids: How to get started

Tumblers should start with the most basic tumbling skills, which are the forward roll, backward roll and cartwheel.

After mastering these basic skills, children can move on to learning one of the most-used skills in the sport: the round-off.

As they progress in tumbling, the number of twists and rolls included in each run will increase, and the sport will become more exciting.

Tumbling equipment

The only equipment needed to perform tumbling is a space area with a gymnastics exercise mat, which can usually be found in a gymnasium.

In competitive tumbling, a sophisticated 25-meter sprung track is used to help the athletes to perform the high-level dynamic skills.

Beginners can also use trampolines and springboards to learn and practice aerial skills before performing them on the floor.

Safety tips

Tumbling is a fun activity, but it can also be dangerous if it’s not taken seriously. Here are some safety tips for you to consider:

1. Learn the basics correctly before moving on to advanced skills.
2. Warm-up properly before starting your tumbling workout, and do some stretches at the end of each session.
3. Performing tumbling moves inside a matted gymnasium with the guidance of qualified coaches is the best way to learn.

Read more about safety tips during activities and exercises for kids.

10 tumbling games for toddlers

1. Forward Rolls/Somersaults

Divide the group into pairs or have the students choose partners.

Steps:

1. Beginning in a crawl position, tuck your head into your chest and push your bottom up and over until you roll over.
2. If necessary, a child can assist their partner by pushing their bottom over and placing their own hand on their partner’s head to help their partner keep their chin tucked under.
3. Repeat this exercise five times.

2. Backward Rolls

Divide the group into pairs or have the students choose partners.

If the children are just learning to do a backward roll, demonstrate the move first before teaching the children to do it.

You may want an adult—or another partner—to assist them at first so they can feel the correct movement.

Steps: 

1. Sit on the edge of a mat with your knees and chin tucked into your chest.
2. Place your hands on either side of your head, just above your ears, with your palms up.
3. If you need help, your partner can place one hand on your head to aid you with keeping it tucked, and one hand on your bottom to help you lift it up and over.
4. Rock backward and forward, remaining in the tucked position.
5. As you gain confidence, rock harder, until you rock far enough back that your palms will touch the mat.
6. When you’re comfortable, change your starting position slightly. Instead of sitting, get into the appropriate tuck position while you’re balanced on your feet.
7. Repeat the rocking movement from the new starting point until you’re ready for a break.

Helpful Advice:

• As a tumbler, be sure to keep your hands in place, as protection for your head and neck.
• Push strongly with your hands when they touch the mat, in order to complete your backward roll.
• If necessary, your partner can ease you over by using your hips as a handhold.
• As you become more confident, you can begin the move with your hands starting on the mat and quickly bring them up by your ears as you begin to rock backward.

Do a total of five backward rolls. With practice, you’ll improve your form and speed!

3. Cartwheels

When doing a cartwheel, the child must move sideways in a straight line.

They must keep their back straight and place the hand of their leading side on the ground, followed by the other hand.

Their legs must pass over their body and then come down as their hands and body come up to a standing position.

A cartwheel can be performed by using one, two or no hands.

This is just a sideways motion, so it really doesn’t matter whether the legs are straight or bent, as long as the body turns over in a sideways motion.

Steps: 

1. Always start a cartwheel with a lunge. The stronger leg leads the lunge, and the weaker leg is in the back.
2. During the lunge, raise your arms straight into the air and keep your hips squared in the forward direction.
3. Push off your front leg and place your hands shoulder-width apart (or wider) on the ground in front of you.
4. Begin to kick your legs up and over your torso and head as the body becomes inverted.
5. During the rotation, keep your legs straight and apart, in a wide straddle. Keep your toes and feet pointed.
6. As your first foot hits the ground, follow it closely with the second foot. Land in a lunge with the weaker leg in front and the lead leg in back.
7. Repeat this exercise 10 times.

4. Round-Offs

A round-off is just like a cartwheel, except that you land with your two feet together on the ground instead of one foot at a time, facing the direction from which you came.

This is achieved by twisting your hands and shoulders as you place your hands on the ground.

The two hands are generally placed down one after the other while you’re kicking your feet up and bringing your legs together, with your feet together.

For practice with round-offs, repeat this entire exercise 10 times.

5. Assisted Handstands

Prop: A wall

Divide the group into pairs or have the students choose partners.

Steps:

1. Ask your partner to grab your ankles in a handstand position, or use a wall to help keep your balance and increase your upper-body strength.
2. Stand about 3 feet away from the wall and lift your hands above your head.
3. While keeping your arms straight having them touch your ears, step forward, throw your hands down and kick upward. The kick will give you more momentum.
4. Kick one leg in front of you and take a large step forward with that leg, as far as it feels comfortable to you. Keep a straight line from your fingertips to your back foot.
5. Start to lean forward while keeping your body straight. Make sure you add a bit of forward force with your lunged leg and back foot. (The most common mistake is to throw your hands straight down to the ground and try to throw your legs upward at the same time. This results in a whip at the top, and causes you to fall forward.)
6. Once your hands are approaching the ground, keep your arms perfectly straight. Your legs will touch the wall for support.
7. Repeat this exercise five times.

Read more about gymnastics:
What are the different types of Gymnastics you know?
How to choose Gymnastics equipment for rhythmic gymnastics?
Benefits of Gymnastics for Toddlers & best age to start

6. Solo Handstands

Steps:

1. Stand up straight and lift your hands above your head.
2. Make sure your arms are straight and they’re touching your ears. Step forward and then throw your hands down on the ground.
3. Kick up; this will give you more momentum. Kick one leg in front of you and take a large step forward with that leg, as far as it feels comfortable to you. Make sure you keep your body in a straight line, from your fingertips to your back foot.
4. Start to lean forward while keeping your body straight. Make sure you add a bit of forward force with your lunged leg and back foot. (As with the assisted handstand, the most common mistake is to throw your hands straight down to the ground and try to throw your legs upward at the same time. This results in a whip at the top and causes you to fall forward. Keep straight!)
5. Once your hands are approaching the ground, keep your arms perfectly straight. Don’t let your elbows bend or your shoulders sag upward. If you bend your arms, you’ll risk hurting yourself. If you do this part right, it’ll help you keep your balance!
6. When you feel most of your weight on your hands, attempt to keep the force of your weight around the base of your fingers. This will allow you to push forward or backward with your hands to compensate when you kick too hard or not hard enough. (You might need to try this a few times before you find balance. Soon, you’ll get it almost every time. Just keep all the weight on your hands.)
7. Straighten out completely.
8. After successfully hitting the handstand, keep your head neutral and your back and legs straight. Look past your eyebrows to see your hands, instead of throwing your head back, which will only result in you arching your back and potentially hurting it.
9. Try holding your handstand for 10 seconds.

7. Stay Within the Lines

Props: A roll of easily removable tape

Steps: 

1. Make two lines on the floor with tape. They should be 12 inches apart and 10 feet long.
2. Tell the children to practice doing Forward Rolls/Somersaults within the lines.
3. Travel through the lines 10 times.

Variation: When that skill is mastered, decrease the distance between the lines an inch at a time, until the lines are only 6 inches apart.

8. Leg Splits

Steps: 

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight and your toes pointed.
2. Stretch to get your nose as close to your knees as you can. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
3. Flex your feet while still holding your nose as far down as possible.
4. Next, sit in a wide straddle and attempt to place your elbows on the floor. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds.
5. Reach your hands as far out as possible while attempting to put your nose on the floor. Again, hold this stretch for 30 seconds.
6. Place either leg in front and lunge from your knee; your rear knee will be on the floor with your front foot far in front. Hold for 30 seconds and then sit back.
7. Straighten the front leg and try to place your nose on your knees.
8. Slide as far into the split as you are able.
9. Repeat these stretches on the other side. Remember to hold each position for 30 seconds!

Helpful Advice: Never bounce while stretching or push yourself when it’s painful.

9. Backbends

Props: Soft pillows or a mat for each pair 

Divide the group into pairs or have the players choose partners. Do this gymnastics exercise slowly; don’t just fall backward into a backbend. Control yourself and don’t rush.

Steps: 

1. To begin a backbend, start with your legs spread shoulder-width apart. If you’ve never tried to do this before, have a partner hold you by the waist so you can practice getting into a backbend position with support that should help you prevent your core from collapsing.
2. Keep your arms close to your ears without touching them, and carefully place your hands on the floor.
3. Repeat this exercise 3 times.

Note: Working in pairs, one person can serve as a spotter. It’s especially helpful if the partner is an adult.

10. Backbend Kick-Overs

Steps: 

1. Get into a backbend position and simply kick your strong leg up and over. Have your weaker leg just behind that leg. Jumping with the leg that doesn’t kick over will help put you into motion so you can complete this.
2. Make sure you land with your arms up and your feet together.
3. Repeat this tumbling exercise three times.

References:

usagym.org.

image 2: Pixabay; image 3: Pixabay

School-age children can receive great health benefits from running shorter distances—with a lesser risk of injury than if they were to run for longer periods of time.

In this article, For Kids will highlight the top 10 jumping and running fitness exercises for kids of all ages.

The following fitness activities are suitable for kids, teenagers and youth to participate in outdoors. They’re particularly ideal for large groups.

Keep in mind that if kids are doing any type of structured running, they should be fitted for appropriate running shoes first.

Running games for kids

1. Interval Runs

An interval run incorporates both speed and endurance in small amounts.

This fun outdoor exercise has been designed to either increase or decrease in its intensity, with the length of time remaining unchanged.

You can invite your whole family or a group of friends on this type of run, and don’t forget your dog, too!

Steps:

1. To start off, begin walking. When everyone feels ready, increase your speed from slow to medium to fast.
2. Choose someone to call out the desired level of speed. This person will change the speed at regular intervals of their choice (such as 20 or 30 seconds).
3. Count how many slow-medium-fast intervals you complete.
4. Do this for at least three minutes.

2. High-Knees Running

Track and field athletes often use this exercise as a warm-up.

Steps:

1. Run forward at a slow pace, bringing your knees waist-high.
2. Continue for three minutes.

3. Take a Hike

Invite your family or group of friends for a hike in your neighborhood park.

You’ll find that running on a dirt path with hills is a different sort of workout than running on concrete.

Before you start, make sure everyone is prepared with sunscreen and appropriate clothing.

If you come to a hill, take up the challenge and walk or run up the hill, but when you’re descending a hill, remember that walking is much safer than running—especially for kids.

Steps:

1. Start out by walking for a couple of minutes.
2. Pick up the pace if the path is safe and free of roots, rocks and other obstacles.
3. Walk for at least 15 minutes.

4. Go to the Beach

Props: A sandy beach or a source of at least knee-deep water, and sunscreen

Take your family or some friends to the beach, or a backyard or neighborhood pool.

Running on sand or in water feels different from running on any other surface, and it’s more challenging, too.

Kids won’t be able to run for long periods of time on sand, because their major muscles will have to work harder than they usually do during runs. Therefore, the kids will fatigue much faster than when they’re running on hard surfaces.

Jumping games for kids

Jumping is a skill that’s used in almost every sport. It requires timing and a sense of rhythm.

5. Power Jumps

Props: A mini trampoline (optional)

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.
2. Bend your knees and sit back into a squat.
3. While using your arms to create momentum, use your legs to push back up to a standing position and jump up as high as you can.
4. As you land, bend your knees to soften the landing and lower your hips into a squat.
5. Repeat this exercise as many times as you can.

6. Jump-Ups

Props: A step or low bench for each participant

Steps:

1. Stand facing a step, with your arms at your sides.
2. While bending your left leg, place your left foot in the middle of the step. Keep your weight evenly distributed over the balls of your feet.
3. Push off with both feet, jumping straight up as high as you can. Let your arms swing up overhead.
4. Pause between jumps only long enough to maintain balance.
5. Do 10 Jump-Ups with the same leg leading each jump and then switch legs.

7. Broad Jumps

Props: Chalk or a jump rope to mark a starting line

For kids this age, I recommend that you do this exercise outside and clearly designate the line from which each player must jump.

Steps:

1. Start from a stationary position, without running. Bring your toes up to the starting line and swing your arms. Use the momentum you get to swing yourself forward into a jump.
2. Land on your feet, making sure that you bend your knees.
3. Repeat this exercise for three minutes.

8. 180- or 360-Degree Turn

This jumping activity will help children learn how to turn while jumping.

To make it easier, I recommend that you set a visual target on each side for the children to focus on.

Steps:

1. Divide the group into pairs or have the players choose partners. One player will act as the spotter while the other partner turns and faces one of the objects at his or her side.
2. As the jumping partner, jump up in the air and turn yourself 180 degrees to face the object on the opposite side.
3. If you feel confident with a half-turn, increase the turn until you can jump in a complete circle (360 degrees). To avoid getting dizzy, reverse the direction of the jump after each jump.
4. Repeat your jump at least three times and then switch roles with your partner.

9. Single-Leg Hops

Steps:

1. Stand on your left leg while bending your right leg at the knee.
2. Bring the heel of your right foot towards your bottom, and grasp and hold the ankle.
3. Hop around the room, while counting the number of successful hops.
4. Repeat this action 25 times on each leg.

10. Popcorn

Steps:

1. Start from a squatting position, with your hands touching the floor.
2. Explode upward, while swinging your arms up overhead, and land softly back in a squatting position.
3. Repeat this exercise 25 times.

If you’re wondering how to keep your kids safe while playing and doing exercises, including team sports such as soccer and basketball, and extreme sports as kickboxing, forkids.com will introduce a few safety tips that’ll work for any game or activity below.

We’ll also let you know about the necessary safety equipment that’s needed for various types of sports.

Safety comes first: 6 basic tips

1. Clean the play area

Be sure that the play area is free of electrical cords, sharp objects or anything else that could harm the children.

2. Use appropriate equipment

If any fitness equipment is needed for your activities, be sure that it’s age-appropriate and that the children know how to use each piece correctly before starting.

3. Practice good hydration

Keep the children hydrated, even in cooler temperatures.

4. Wear suitable clothes

Make sure the children are wearing clothing that’s appropriate for the weather and temperature, especially if you’re outdoors.

5. Use sunscreen

Don’t forget to apply (and reapply) sunscreen if you’re going to participate in outdoor activities.

6. Enlist adult supervision

Ensure that the children are supervised by responsible adults during any activity.

Safety equipment for specific sports and exercises for kids

Some safety issues apply to specific sports and activities.

For instance, a helmet, mouth guards, body pads and eye gear may be needed for particular sports.

1. Helmet

Helmets are needed for sports such as baseball, football, softball, biking, snow sports and rollerblading. Your kids must always wear the correct helmet for the sport they’re playing.

The helmet should have a sticker from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which designates that it’s safe to wear for a particular activity, such as biking.

2. Body pads

Elbow, knee and wrist pads should be worn when a child is skateboarding, snowboarding, skating or playing ice hockey, to help prevent broken bones.

3. Mouth Guards

 If children are playing a sport in which there’s a chance of them getting hit in the head—especially the face—they need to obtain and use mouth guards. You can get mouth guards for kids from a dentist or a sporting goods store.

4. Eye Protection

Special eye protection may be needed for sports such as ice hockey, lacrosse and racquetball. 

Regardless of the sport, make sure any goggles and face masks a child uses fits snugly against the face.

Exercise for kids is an essential part of life if you’re a parent or caregiver, but you must take these basic precautions outlined above to minimize the incidence of injuries.