5 exciting alternative sports for kids

If your kids are fed up with the same old sports try out our list of alternative fun and games.

5 exciting alternative sports for kids

Badminton, Tennis, Soccer, Basketball. Everyone knows all about the traditional, popular sports offered in schools and centres. Today, we want to encourage parents to step off the beaten path and let their kids try out some of Singapore's best alternative sports.

While some of them remain relatively obscure, these sports are not at all lacking in fun or physicality when placed alongside their better known peers. Think of it as a 'Singapore's best kept secrets'- sports edition.

1. Wake-boarding

Andrenaline-junkie parents ahoy! Wakeboarding has been quietly gaining popularity in Singapore. With easy access to beaches and waterways, more and more Singaporeans have taken to riding the waves around our sunny island.

Check out Ski360, Singapore's first Cable-Ski Park, which uses a cable system that goes continuously around a lagoon. Within an enclosed body of water, parents can be assured that kids will enjoy all the fun of wakeboarding, without the risk of tides, deep water and other dangers associated with sea-sports.

The minimum age is 7 and Ski360 also offers a 10 hour program that teaches everything from standing up on the board to the odd trick or two.

2. Rock-climbing

If you find your kid constantly scaling the trees in your neighbourhood, or even the cupboards at home, perhaps rock climbing could be an avenue for your child to channel his or her passion for heights.

Be sure to hit Climb Asia, at 60 Tessensohn Road. The private gym allows up to 40 climbers on its walls at a time and also hosts a 2-hour rock climbing session tailor-made especially for kids between the ages of 5 - 12. Climbing gear, instruction and rope-management would all be provided.

3. Mixed Martial Arts

One of the most exciting up and coming sports in the world, MMA is making waves in Asia and especially in Singapore which recently hosted Asia's first big MMA event: the ONE Fighting Championship. Don't be fooled by the violent appearance of the sport.

Martial arts is not all about fighting but has also been noted to be a powerful source of learning life skills such as discipline, confidence and hard work. Plus, learning simple self-defence is a great way to ensure your child is not a victim of bullying. Look up Evolve MMA's 'Little Samurai Children's Program' which caters specially to kids from 6 - 13 years of age.

4. Archery

Archery in Singapore has been opening its doors to the younger crowd with a host of courses and competitions aimed at kids.

Be sure to check out the Archery Satellite Centre at Punggol South , which offers 2 hour classes every Saturday for kids aged 7 to 16. The centre utilises an open field which is perfect for the sport. May your child's aim be straight and true!

5. Skateboarding

With as many as 14 skate parks around the island, Skateboarding has never been more popular in Singapore. After years of being a side-lined sport, the skateboarding community has now grown to encompass both the young and old as more areas are made available to practice the sport.

The opening of the Xtreme SkatePark in East Coast Park in 2009, which occupies an area of two and a half football fields, has also given skateboarders a whole new playing field.

Look up SkateSports 'Learn-2-skate' program, which offers classes in East Coast and Tampines. The program provides all the gear as well as uniform shirts for the kids. (Editor's tip: Avoid buying skateboards for children at stores like Toys 'r' us as they are not well made; check out a nearby skateboard shop for quality boards)

Written by

theAsianparent

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