Sports Then and Now

They say the families that play together, stay together but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to stay indoors and play board games or video games. Plenty of sports are perfect for the whole family. Let’s take a look at the best sports for families to get into to maximize their quality time.

Martial Arts

Who doesn’t want to be a karate superstar? Many martial arts dojos offer family classes so parents can learn alongside their children. These programs aren’t just good exercise — though most martial arts forms can be intense full-body workouts focusing on strength, flexibility and stamina. They also teach children and parents important concepts like discipline, self-control, teamwork and healthy conflict resolution. Look for a class that will let you participate alongside your children. You might be surprised how much fun you have while creating a unique family bonding experience.

Soccer

Soccer is one of those sports that is easy to learn but hard to master, but it can be fun regardless of your age or skill level. The rules are simple — don’t touch the ball with your hands unless you’re the goalie, and kick the ball until it ends up in your opponent’s goal. It’s also super easy to set up a soccer field in your backyard. Soccer is a great way to keep your kids active, and it’s something the whole family can participate in. But prepare for endless gloating when one of your kids manages to score a goal against you!

Watersports

During the summer, there’s something for everyone to enjoy on the water, regardless of their age or ability. If you want everyone to participate, start with something easy like tubing or kneeboarding. Then, as you all learn and improve your skills, you can make the step up to wakeboarding or water skiing. The exact water sports you’ll master will depend on where you live. Surfing, for example, is usually restricted to ocean vistas, while you can water ski, wakeboard and tube on nearly any body of water, if you’ve got something to pull you.

Tennis

As long as your kids are well behaved enough not to smack each other with the rackets, tennis can be a great family sport to start playing. You can put up to four people on a court, so it might be a good idea to start by pairing one child with one parent until they get the basics down. Once they have the basics down, they can play against each other or even team up against you — kids are smaller than adults, usually, so if they want to play three or more kids vs. two adults, they will still fit on the court, and it allows them to cover more ground.

Stay Active as a Family

Choosing a sport to play together can be a great way to stay active and bond as a family. Pick a game everyone can participate in — and preferably one that doesn’t have too many rules to learn — and you’ll have no trouble keeping the kids interested. They may even start dragging you outside to play!