Getting your kids involved in some sort of sports or fitness activity can really enrich their lives. Many of the traditional team sports are played outdoors at various times of the year. Just being outdoors is often a great experience for kids, but sometimes it’s just necessary or better to participate in something indoors.
Why should your child participate in indoor sports or fitness activities? Indoor sports and fitness activities provide all the same health benefits that outdoor options provide. There are indoor choices that provide a team setting, as well as individual activities, for meeting your participation goals.
- Comfort for spectators
- Alleviate problems from weather conditions
- Medical Reasons like allergies or too much sun exposure
- Play year round
- Options that are specific for indoors
The Benefits of Indoor Sports and Fitness Activities
There are distinct differences between indoor and outdoor activities. Here are a few benefits specific to indoor sports and fitness activities:
Controlled Environment
Being in an indoor facility provides an optimal climate for your fitness or sport’s needs. There is no worry of inclement weather conditions or cancelled events. Your kids can fully enjoy the experience in a comfortable setting. Lighting can be an issue when playing sports at nights, but in an indoor setting lighting is able to be controlled.
Reduce Safety Hazards
Outdoor fields can have hidden safety issues like pot holes, divots, ridges, and hills which can lead to unforeseen accidents. Indoor facilities are well maintained reducing potential safety hazards that come from unpredictable environments.
Seating for Spectators
Many outdoor fields aren’t always friendly for cheering your kids on. Often times it’s up to parents to bring a foldout chair or something to sit on. Indoor facilities, like gyms, have bleacher seating or built in options for spectators.
The Best Indoor Sports and Fitness Activities for Kids
If you are unsure where to begin when looking for an indoor or outdoor fitness activity I’ve created a list of some of the best options.
Here are 28 amazing indoor sports and fitness activities with some of their benefits:
Basketball
This is one of the most popular indoor sports in the world. Basketball takes a lot of skill, athleticism, and endurance. It’s a great fast-paced team sport for indoor play.
Bowling
Throwing a weighted ball down an oiled lane of 45 inches wide and 40 feet long, while trying to knock down 10 pins, can be quite the challenge. It’s a great sport for building camaraderie while competing both individually or as a team.
Soccer
Although Soccer is typically played outdoors, there are still many indoor soccer arenas. Soccer is arguably the most popular sport in the world. Soccer is easy for anyone to jump in and play while getting a great workout.
Handball
Here is another team sport on the list. Handball is typically played with two teams of 7 players. Teams throw the ball around to each other with the object of throwing the ball into a goal.
Floor Hockey
One of my favorite games to play as a kid in P.E. class. This is played just like ice hockey, except without the ice and skates.
Ice Hockey
Another one of the major team sports on this list. Ice hockey takes a lot of skill to play. Players skate around on ice using a stick to try to hit a small puck into a goal.
Figure Skating
This is a highly skilled activity that requires a lot of balance and technique. Figure skating will take several hours of practice to begin to master and is a major Olympic sport.
Roller Skating
A great recreational activity that can elevate your mood. It’s generally a fun time with the music blaring, various strobe light effects, and just gliding around the rink.
Rock Climbing
A great activity for adventure lovers. It’s something that you can enjoy at your own pace and feel a sense of accomplishment when you make it to the top. As you conquer the indoor rock walls, it can be an activity that you move to outdoor rock climbing.
Volleyball
A game that incorporates a lot of team work by hitting the ball back and forth amongst team members and then over a net. This is a great team game that can be both highly competitive or more recreational.
Badminton
Here is another net game that consists of two or more players hitting a birdie over a net with rackets that look similar to tennis rackets.
Racquetball
The utilization of a racket is also found in this sport. The game is generally played with two individuals hitting a rubber ball against the wall in a closed room.
Swimming
An awesome fitness workout for your entire body. Swimming can be something that is done just for fun or competitively through racing or diving.
Boxing
A combat sport that consists of two individuals wearing padded gloves trying to knock each other out.
Martial Arts
A variety of sports originating from Japan that teach individual self-defense techniques through various movements.
Billiards
A game played on a table using a stick to try to hit balls into holes on the table. A lot of this game is mental utilizing various angles to hit the ball in a certain way.
Gymnastics
One of the highest forms of athleticism. Another major Olympic sport that takes intensive training for various tumbling activities with an artistic flare.
Dance
For more of an artistic form of indoor fitness, dance is a great form of expression. There are so many variations of dance that anyone can enjoy.
Table Tennis
A game that can be played in the garage with a couple people. It’s similar to tennis but on a much smaller scale. Two players use small paddles to hit a small ball back and forth over a net on a table top surface.
Dodgeball
This was an extremely popular sport as a kid, which has gained a lot of prominence with adults over the years. This game is played with two teams throwing a rubber ball at each other to get players out.
Chess
Ok, so it’s not physical fitness, but is considered a sport and highly beneficial for brain fitness.
HIIT Training
High Intensity Interval Training is just that, a workout that consists of high intensity in short bursts.
Zumba
An aerobic exercise that incorporates various dance moves mainly from Latin American dance.
Yoga
A highly therapeutic form of fitness that culminates in inner focus and flexibility. Yoga has many health benefits that range from both physical to mental.
Strength Training
This is a great supplemental workout during the off-season of a sport. Strength training utilizes various bands, cone drills, and weights to improve speed, endurance, and strength.
Crossfit
A more recent trend in the fitness world is Crossfit. Crossfit is high intensity training that utilizes movement from various sports with weights and training equipment.
Fencing
An activity that is lesser known then some of the others I’ve included. Fencing is a combat sport using swords and safety gear. Fencing can be an excellent fitness based activity.
Indoor Trampolines
An exciting recreational activity that can be fun for the whole family. It’s a great activity to combine different things like acrobatics, basketball, or dodgeball.
To summarize, indoor sports and fitness activities provide many of the same benefits that come from any outdoor based activity. Sometimes outdoor activities just aren’t feasible for various reasons, so indoor options can be a great alternative.
Please comment below on anything that you’ve enjoyed from this post.