Hair salons are famous for being hot spots of deep conversation. At Dooz, it’s no different. We talk to a lot of moms and by a lot, we mean a lot. When the topic of sports come up we’ve noticed that the moms of kids who don’t play team sports often feel, or have felt, guilting about it. It seems like there is a stigma of obligation for kids to play organized team sports.

Team sports aren’t for everybody. All children are different and it’s our job, as their role models, to empower and inspire them to find and follow their passions. Should they be active? Yes! Should they diversify? Yes!  Do they need to do what everyone else is doing? No!

Between talking with various parents over the years and a little of our own brainstorming, we’ve come up with a list of “alternative” sports that are a little outside of the box..

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• Fencing
• Tae Kwan Do
• Trapeze and circus arts
• Slacklining (look this up, very cool new sport)
• Juggling
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Hackie Sack
• Theater sports – improv, comedy
• Dance
• Rock climbing
• Swimming (even non-competitively)

The sports listed above all have one very important lesson in common: diversity. These aren’t what we typically think of as “sports”, but to so many kids that’s exactly what they need… a different environment to thrive in! Another great thing about a lot of these activities is there no commitment or at least a smaller commitment than a full season of say, soccer or basketball. This gives kids the ability to dabble in a little bit of everything to see what they really love.

With that being said, Moms out there, if you ever feel guilty or obligated to sign your kids up for team sports know you’re not alone. If your kids aren’t exactly cut out for traditional sports, be aware of the laundry list of different activities in your community! You never know what might become your kid’s passion.

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