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    Joined: Sep 2011
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    Originally Posted by cammom
    My opinion is that traditional sports have a short window and a short shelf life unless a child has some natural aptitude and is willing to train. I'm female, however, and may not understand the dynamics of "boy" friendships and interactions to be a good judge.

    cammom, I haven't finished reading all the replies yet and will post again with a reply that addresses your OP, but fwiw I did want to jump in here with a thought/perspective for you. I'm female too :), my dh is male smile - we have continued to enjoy team sports throughout our adult lives. Neither one of us is athletically talented and so we weren't the kids in school going out for varsity teams etc - but I wouldn't necessarily discount participating in a team sport for a child simply because it's perceived to have a shelf life. My dh and I have played on rec leagues in our community (which offer all kinds of ability levels), teams through our workplace, and pick-up games with friends. We've played volleyball, soccer, flag football… you name it, there is almost always a league of some kind where you can play it as an adult if it's something you like to do smile

    The other thing I'd consider is that even if you are a child and you play on a team of some sort for a short duration - even just one season - there is something to be learned and experienced from playing team sports, whether or not you use the same physical skill set ever again. And it's a way to make connections among peers, as you've noted.

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    I could have also wrote this post about ds7 last year. My son is not physically able and was told he could not play by the other boys. He could sometimes get the girls to pretend they were all animals or something similar. Mostly, he read on the playground.

    This year he is at a gifted private. Ds is actively playing at recess with the boys- sometimes team sports and others imaginary games. He is much happier.

    I'm sorry to hear that your ds is not being included. It's hard to be different. Maybe he could start another game with friends? Or play with other kids who are not in the game? Does the teacher see what's happening at recess?

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    Anyone know of any actual elementary level team sports that don't require visually tracking balls?

    I know there are teams that are clustered individuals (e.g. swimming.) But if there is some merit to team sports, I'd be curious to find one that is acccessible. One I thought of is rowing (starts at middle school ages,) any others?

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    Originally Posted by cammom
    How do you help young gifted boys who are kind of "nerdy," immature, and uninterested in traditional sports.

    You could try playing soccer with him (kicking the ball around your yard or at the park) to see if that helps in getting him interested.
    Team sports are a great way to socialize, bond with friends and teaches team work besides other things. There are winter camps and summer camps for team sports and you could see if attending one is an option for your son. From observing the social dynamics between 6 year old boys, I think that playing a sport involving a ball is the quickest way to make friends smile

    Originally Posted by cammom
    My DS7 isn't exactly non athletic- he swims and does martial arts. He is just uninterested and anxious about traditional sports (soccer, basketball, baseball, etc).

    Wait until your DS gets a black belt! All boys love cool nina tricks and your DS will be very popular smile

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    Originally Posted by Zen Scanner
    Anyone know of any actual elementary level team sports that don't require visually tracking balls?

    I know there are teams that are clustered individuals (e.g. swimming.) But if there is some merit to team sports, I'd be curious to find one that is acccessible. One I thought of is rowing (starts at middle school ages,) any others?

    Dunno if this helps, but my DD9's elementary school has intramural flag football. Unless you're catching/defending passes, it's more about tracking people than tracking a ball.

    Another intramural sport they have is track, which is the kind of "clustered individual" sport you mention. It could be a team sport if they run relays, though.

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    Also wrestling and maybe scouting (not really a sport but you can do lots of cool stuff with peers like rock climbing, hiking and archery).

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    For the playground there is tag. There are lots of fun, informal games that can be played without balls. My girls scout troop used to play at lot of group games, very few of them involved balls. At camp we used to play capture the flag, but that is a long involved game that takes a lot of area.

    Some area's have track programs for elementary age kids. I had heard that freerunning gyms are becoming really popular. But I guess these are more clustered individuals like swimming.

    Last edited by bluemagic; 09/19/14 12:42 PM.
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    My DS6 is super athletic. Loves to bike, swim and will play tag with anyone. On the flip side he has zero interest in competitive team sports. He has tried soccer twice and baseball. He really does not like sports. I support that. We discovered fencing a few months ago and he is in love. He says that it is his favorite sport! He's met some great kids who are a lot like him and he feels part of a group.

    Are you part of a gifted and talented group in your area? We have found a few families through ours and our son has a best friend that is a boy his age for the first time ever who loves science as much as he does and music.

    It's all about helping your kid find his niche and in our sports driven american culture where boys are "supposed" to play and talk about sports it makes it harder for the rest of us who have sensitive, intellectual little boys.

    I also agree with the suggestion of music. I highly recommend a drum kit! Great energy burner and it's fun! My son plays a variety of instruments and he has so much fun with his drums.


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    Originally Posted by DrummerLiz
    We discovered fencing a few months ago and he is in love. He says that it is his favorite sport! He's met some great kids who are a lot like him and he feels part of a group.

    Mind if I PM you regarding fencing at that age? I began fencing as a teen, but I'd like to expose DS (almost 3) to fencing earlier.


    What is to give light must endure burning.
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    Totally Aquinas! :-)

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