Best Winter Sports for Kids!
As Fall begins to turn into Winter, the days continue to get colder. For parents and children, this tends to mean staying inside more. Winter sports are the perfect way to embrace the cold, while also staying out of the house. The benefits of playing sports are endless: they teach children life lessons involving teamwork and decision-making, they make life-long friends (some of my own best friends I’ve met through sports), and they learn new skills and hobbies.
There are a wide variety of winter sports for children to become involved with, both typical winter activities as well as more unique sports! These are the 8 Best Winter Sports for Kids in 2021!
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Hockey
The fast-playing sport on ice is perfect for kids who are interested in trying a new activity that teaches children first and foremost about teamwork and not giving up. Hockey helps kids develop a positive attitude and build confidence. According to USAHockey, there is nothing that builds confidence and helps kids stand on their own two feet more than Hockey. Because Hockey is built on teamwork, the sport also benefits in building social skills and creates new friendships. The Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers and Aviator Sports and Events in Brooklyn offer lessons and leagues for your little ones to join.
Snowboarding & Skiing
If your child seeks exhilaration, snowboarding and skiing are the sports for them! Just like hockey, snowboarding and skiing build up confidence: if you fall down on the slope the only thing you can do is get back up again. With that in mind, children are also able to gain coordination skills and strengthen leg and core muscles. It’s a great sport for the whole family to become involved with, where everyone can grow and learn together, picking each other up when they fall down! Mountain Creek in Vernon, New Jersey offers lessons and a beginners guide, as well as a Kids Camp.
Basketball
Another team building activity, basketball is great for the kid who hates the cold, but loves staying active and running around. Basketball builds relationships on and off of the court, by allowing kids to communicate with their peers while playing, but also teaching them basic logic problems. Dribbling, throwing, and running all improve muscle groups while also training motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Yorkville Youth Athletic Association has a great basketball program that will be kicking off this December for kids to join!
Ice Skating
Ice Skating is a beautiful sport that teaches children about goal-setting and performing under pressure. While skating is not necessarily a team sport, it showcases good sportsmanship. Skating classes teach your child about the techniques behind skating so that they do not get injured, while learning different skills that could pass along to either recreationally or competitively. On a more physical aspect, ice skating builds strengthen, control, stability, and endurance. Ice Skating lessons can be found all over NYC, such as World Ice Arena and Le Frank Center at Lakeside
Indoor Tennis
Just because cold weather is coming, does not mean we have to put away our rackets. Tennis is a full-body workout, and because it is a non-contact sport, it is easier on the body meaning less likelihood of injury. Compared to other sports that involve teams and splitting playing time, tennis guarantees that your child will be involved the whole time. Court 16 has tennis lessons and camps for children of all ages.
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is the perfect blend between a team and individual sport whether your child wants to simply take lessons, or even compete for gold! The best way to describe it is an individual sport with a group environment. With this comes building sportsmanship and social skills as gymnasts, no matter if competing or not, cheering each other. For young children gymnastics teaches fundamentals of movement and dexterity, as well as listening and discipline skills imperative for the future. Kidville offers lessons for younger children and 92Y is perfect for kids of all ages!
Snowshoeing
What is snowshoeing? Snowshoeing is hiking in snowy terrains with the assistance of special footwear. This unique sport is perfect for the kid who loves the outdoors and for the parent who doesn’t want to place their child in the normal activity. Snowshoeing takes you and your children along wooded trails or backcountry, allowing the opportunity to see birds and other animals, and some aspects of nature that you would not experience, or frankly notice, otherwise. Plus, because of the fast-growing nature of the sport, chances are parents haven’t gone snowshoeing either. Parents and children can bond and spend quality family time together that might be difficult considering the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
