What Sport for my Very Tall 6yo Girl?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could try dance, but avoid ballet -- being too big (even just in height) sucks.

Martial arts might also be a good fit: being tall in an advantage and it's great at teach body awareness and coordination. Tai kwan do includes team things too if the being part of a team aspect is important to you.

I never played myself, but would she like field hockey? Volleyball? Track? She could be good with hurdles or some of the field events with all that height. Basically just let her try out different things until something sticks.

I completely disagree with this. I am a 5'10" woman and was tall all my life. Ballet was my love and gave me the coordination I never would have had for other sports.

[Anonymous]

Similar situation here. My daughter isn't quite as tall, but very uncoordinated and doesn't have an interest in any sport at the moment. We have her in gymnastics classes for the purpose of developing some coordination, balance, and exercise. Once she's a little older and shows interest in something else, we will switch her.

So I disagree with the person who said don't do gymnastics if you have a tall kid. I have no expectation she'll do it for more than a few years, and it's great for all-around exercise and coordination.

[Anonymous]

My very tall daughter loves swimming and is pretty good at it now. But it didn't really click for her until she was 10. She was all arms and legs and no coordination until she got a little older.

[Anonymous]

How tall are you and her father? Is she likely to stay tall or is it possible she’s just going be tall for her age when she’s younger and others will catch up? I was off the charts for height and weight when I was very young, then leaned out and was just tall and skinny. I too was not aggressive and didn’t care for team sports. I loved being in the pool and people would tell my mom to put me on swim team. I was too nervous to try it until I was 8 (did lessons before then) but it ended up being the right fit… ended up with a D1 scholarship. I was “quietly competitive” so racing was better for me than going after a ball on a field. I think 6 is still young to really know anything yet, but keep up with swim lessons and try swim team in a year or two. Height and size are definitely an advantage if technique is decent. Big hands and feet are an advantage too… a lot of tall kids have that going for them.

[Anonymous]

Maybe golf. Is your child focused/detail oriented? One of my kids loves golf and has a solid swing for his age.

He has the right personality...he gets really focused on things, lines up his shots carefully, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How tall are you and her father? Is she likely to stay tall or is it possible she’s just going be tall for her age when she’s younger and others will catch up? I was off the charts for height and weight when I was very young, then leaned out and was just tall and skinny. I too was not aggressive and didn’t care for team sports. I loved being in the pool and people would tell my mom to put me on swim team. I was too nervous to try it until I was 8 (did lessons before then) but it ended up being the right fit… ended up with a D1 scholarship. I was “quietly competitive” so racing was better for me than going after a ball on a field. I think 6 is still young to really know anything yet, but keep up with swim lessons and try swim team in a year or two. Height and size are definitely an advantage if technique is decent. Big hands and feet are an advantage too… a lot of tall kids have that going for them.

OP here - I am 65" and DH is 77" and was a collegiate thrower. I think she will be tall, she wears a size 3 shoe right now. Her older brother is 74" and 14 - he is rowing (which may eventually be an option for her as well).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How tall are you and her father? Is she likely to stay tall or is it possible she’s just going be tall for her age when she’s younger and others will catch up? I was off the charts for height and weight when I was very young, then leaned out and was just tall and skinny. I too was not aggressive and didn’t care for team sports. I loved being in the pool and people would tell my mom to put me on swim team. I was too nervous to try it until I was 8 (did lessons before then) but it ended up being the right fit… ended up with a D1 scholarship. I was “quietly competitive” so racing was better for me than going after a ball on a field. I think 6 is still young to really know anything yet, but keep up with swim lessons and try swim team in a year or two. Height and size are definitely an advantage if technique is decent. Big hands and feet are an advantage too… a lot of tall kids have that going for them.

OP here - I am 65" and DH is 77" and was a collegiate thrower. I think she will be tall, she wears a size 3 shoe right now. Her older brother is 74" and 14 - he is rowing (which may eventually be an option for her as well).

Am I correct that your DH is 6'5"?

[Anonymous]

My dh and I are the exact heights as you & your dh. Two of our kids remained off the charts for height and 2 are tiny. My point is I think you are jumping the gun by a lot to try to push your dd in a certain direction based on her current height. At this age it’s irrelevant if she’s good at something or has the right body type. Put her in whatever she is interested in, regardless of if it seems like it’ll be a good fit down the road. She’ll enjoy this the most and you have years to push her in a specific direction

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How tall are you and her father? Is she likely to stay tall or is it possible she’s just going be tall for her age when she’s younger and others will catch up? I was off the charts for height and weight when I was very young, then leaned out and was just tall and skinny. I too was not aggressive and didn’t care for team sports. I loved being in the pool and people would tell my mom to put me on swim team. I was too nervous to try it until I was 8 (did lessons before then) but it ended up being the right fit… ended up with a D1 scholarship. I was “quietly competitive” so racing was better for me than going after a ball on a field. I think 6 is still young to really know anything yet, but keep up with swim lessons and try swim team in a year or two. Height and size are definitely an advantage if technique is decent. Big hands and feet are an advantage too… a lot of tall kids have that going for them.

OP here - I am 65" and DH is 77" and was a collegiate thrower. I think she will be tall, she wears a size 3 shoe right now. Her older brother is 74" and 14 - he is rowing (which may eventually be an option for her as well).

You are not tall but husband is

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dh and I are the exact heights as you & your dh. Two of our kids remained off the charts for height and 2 are tiny. My point is I think you are jumping the gun by a lot to try to push your dd in a certain direction based on her current height. At this age it’s irrelevant if she’s good at something or has the right body type. Put her in whatever she is interested in, regardless of if it seems like it’ll be a good fit down the road. She’ll enjoy this the most and you have years to push her in a specific direction

Yeah I'm short and my DH is very tall and one of our kids is super tall and one is average height.

[Anonymous]

She’s 6. Let her try anything and everything she wants. At that age my super tall kid was doing hip hop dance, swim and basketball - not at the same time. She’s a teen now and on the short side and is a fierce soccer and lacrosse player. You never know where they will end up or what they will like. She still loves dancing for fun and does drop in classes.

[Anonymous]

Gymnastics, yoga, or dance could all help her get a better sense of her body now even if she only does it for 6-12 months. Would registering with a friend encourage her to try different activities like tennis lessons or t-ball? Or especially at that age, the personality of the coach or instructor can make or break a kid's enjoyment and improvement in skills, so signing up for a short session or just a few lessons to try something out is good, because you may be able to see that she and the coach don't click, and you can switch her out before she thinks she hates that activity.

I think you know you shouldn't make body measurements or level of coordination at six years old determine what sport you invest in (emotionally and financially) now. Don't discount the value of weekend excursions to go bowling (with bumpers), ice skating, play mini golf, or go on bike rides. Watching others -- runners on a trail you bike on, kids at a skate park, high school athletes on the field in your neighborhood, may give her ideas and she might even ask you if she can try something she sees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gymnastics, yoga, or dance could all help her get a better sense of her body now even if she only does it for 6-12 months. Would registering with a friend encourage her to try different activities like tennis lessons or t-ball? Or especially at that age, the personality of the coach or instructor can make or break a kid's enjoyment and improvement in skills, so signing up for a short session or just a few lessons to try something out is good, because you may be able to see that she and the coach don't click, and you can switch her out before she thinks she hates that activity.

I think you know you shouldn't make body measurements or level of coordination at six years old determine what sport you invest in (emotionally and financially) now. Don't discount the value of weekend excursions to go bowling (with bumpers), ice skating, play mini golf, or go on bike rides. Watching others -- runners on a trail you bike on, kids at a skate park, high school athletes on the field in your neighborhood, may give her ideas and she might even ask you if she can try something she sees.

Op here - I appreciate this sage wisdom. We are new to NOVA, and, frankly, the lacrosse and soccer forums here have me stressing. She loves to dance, and I really should just let her embrace what she wants to do as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gymnastics, yoga, or dance could all help her get a better sense of her body now even if she only does it for 6-12 months. Would registering with a friend encourage her to try different activities like tennis lessons or t-ball? Or especially at that age, the personality of the coach or instructor can make or break a kid's enjoyment and improvement in skills, so signing up for a short session or just a few lessons to try something out is good, because you may be able to see that she and the coach don't click, and you can switch her out before she thinks she hates that activity.

I think you know you shouldn't make body measurements or level of coordination at six years old determine what sport you invest in (emotionally and financially) now. Don't discount the value of weekend excursions to go bowling (with bumpers), ice skating, play mini golf, or go on bike rides. Watching others -- runners on a trail you bike on, kids at a skate park, high school athletes on the field in your neighborhood, may give her ideas and she might even ask you if she can try something she sees.

Op here - I appreciate this sage wisdom. We are new to NOVA, and, frankly, the lacrosse and soccer forums here have me stressing. She loves to dance, and I really should just let her embrace what she wants to do as well.

This it it, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gymnastics, yoga, or dance could all help her get a better sense of her body now even if she only does it for 6-12 months. Would registering with a friend encourage her to try different activities like tennis lessons or t-ball? Or especially at that age, the personality of the coach or instructor can make or break a kid's enjoyment and improvement in skills, so signing up for a short session or just a few lessons to try something out is good, because you may be able to see that she and the coach don't click, and you can switch her out before she thinks she hates that activity.

I think you know you shouldn't make body measurements or level of coordination at six years old determine what sport you invest in (emotionally and financially) now. Don't discount the value of weekend excursions to go bowling (with bumpers), ice skating, play mini golf, or go on bike rides. Watching others -- runners on a trail you bike on, kids at a skate park, high school athletes on the field in your neighborhood, may give her ideas and she might even ask you if she can try something she sees.

Op here - I appreciate this sage wisdom. We are new to NOVA, and, frankly, the lacrosse and soccer forums here have me stressing. She loves to dance, and I really should just let her embrace what she wants to do as well.

This it it, OP.

Yes! I posted above that my DD ended up in soccer and lax. She only tried them later on because friends were on the rec team and convinced her to join. Take your kid’s lead. There are so many options here. Give her options and let her try anything. Don’t worry about finding a good sport for the future.