Laidback, non competitive activities for non-athletic kids

[Anonymous]

School of Rock

[Anonymous]

theatre, yoga, cooking

[Anonymous]

Are you looking for physical activity? Agree things like parkour or kayaking or indoor rock climbing are good choices. Athletic/exercise but not competitive.

Creative things like theater or music lessons together (guitar?). Fun outdoor extracurriculars like geocaching or orienteering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rock climbing, orchestra (not too late to pick up a brass instrument), ultimate frisbee, D and D or Magic the Gathering

How do you join D and D groups? Or Magic the Gathering groups?

Check out the events page at Labyrinth on the Hill or another game/comics store

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rock climbing, orchestra (not too late to pick up a brass instrument), ultimate frisbee, D and D or Magic the Gathering

How do you join D and D groups? Or Magic the Gathering groups?

My kids' MS and HS has after-school clubs for D&D, etc. That is how they were first introduced to them.

Check public libraries too. They sometimes have teen D&D gatherings. Be careful with D&D gatherings out of game shop type stores. A lot of adults play D&D and go to these and frankly the crowd can get very weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hiking, biking, kyaking, and fishing all great great things my 13 year old does in DC, VA, MD.

Same type of kids - now late teens.

Kayaking has been great for my non competitive kid. He can paddle for hours, stopping occasionally to explore along the water’s edge and chatting & paddling with whomever we’re with that day. His anxiety just disappears.

This sounds wonderful. Not OP but curious about this. Do you own a kayak? Where does he put in? Do you have to drive him there? Does he go alone? Do you feel safe letting him just head out alone, if so?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:THEATRE

or Stage Crew

Such a great group of kids, and with SC you can learn amazing skills.

Yup, agree. My non-athletic, non-competitive kid has been doing theater for many years and has built a fantastic, supportive community.

[Anonymous]

My team sport hating 13 yo has liked parkour, rock climbing to a lesser degree, and judo in the past. Now, surprisingly, he is loving calisthenics. He works with a trainer at a park with a couple other kids and he is finding a new love to challenging himself and getting stronger. We are realizing now that not linking team sports, or sports in general doesn’t necessarily mean they are non-athletic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hiking, biking, kyaking, and fishing all great great things my 13 year old does in DC, VA, MD.

Same type of kids - now late teens.

Kayaking has been great for my non competitive kid. He can paddle for hours, stopping occasionally to explore along the water’s edge and chatting & paddling with whomever we’re with that day. His anxiety just disappears.

This sounds wonderful. Not OP but curious about this. Do you own a kayak? Where does he put in? Do you have to drive him there? Does he go alone? Do you feel safe letting him just head out alone, if so?

Our whole family has kayaks, so DH or I go out with him. But you can rent them for not very much. It’s an easy water craft to learn, if you haven’t done it.

Maybe also look into rowing clubs if you just want something for your kid? They have weekend lessons that teach beginners to crew a 5-person boat over several weekends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You've told us what they don't like but you need to tell us what they DO like. Theater? Coding? Robotics? Role playing? What are their interests?

Yes, good point. Thanks for pointing that out.

He likes theater and music. Great voice.
He likes robotics and coding but that quickly became too competitive for him. Not trying to avoid all competition, just keep it at a reasonable pace for him.
Other interests are aviation.
I think he would like chess, which is father loves. But I don't think he wants to feel bad about himself because all the kids are already better than him! Everything in DC becomes pre-professional at about age 6.

[Anonymous]

Civil Air Patrol

[Anonymous]

If he likes singing, I recommend looking into various choirs. Some are audition based, but others aren't, or the audition process is more of a baseline vocal typing and seeing if the kid can carry a tune.

Does he do his school's theater productions?

[Anonymous]

What do you consider as non-athletic?
No ball sports?
I know some parents tell me their kids are non athletic but they started naming non ball sports.
You can be athletic by hiking long and strenuous miles but can't and don't want to kick or throw a ball (you know, the main stream sports such as basketball, soccer, football, lacrosse-anything to do with a ball).

Think Olympics and see all the different sports there are in the games. These are all sports: archery, fencing, bowling (yes bowling), curling, badminton, bocce, diving, mtn climbing, shooting, kayaking, gymnastics, ultimate frisbee, all the martial arts.

[Anonymous]

Yoga. Seriously. Super-inclusive, you get physical activity but it's neither competitive nor particularly strenuous, and great for mental health as well. There are all kinds of classes. Circle Yoga has a class for preteens and teens, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yoga. Seriously. Super-inclusive, you get physical activity but it's neither competitive nor particularly strenuous, and great for mental health as well. There are all kinds of classes. Circle Yoga has a class for preteens and teens, too.

Yes! Was also going to suggest Circle Yoga.