Collaborative post by another author. As a foster carer, helping your foster children stay active and engaged is important not only for their physical health but also their social and emotional wellbeing. Sports can be a fun and rewarding way to bond and spend quality time together. Here are 6 fun sports you may want to try with your foster children.

Football is one way to get active and make friends

Football 

Football is the most popular sport in the UK. Getting your foster children into football is easy thanks to countless youth teams and clubs across the country catering for all ages and abilities. From casual kickabouts at your local park to joining competitive teams and leagues, football is a great way to keep foster children active, build self-esteem and make new friends. The social nature of football teaches key skills like communication, collaboration and good sportsmanship. It’s a great sport if the children you are fostering via Foster Care Associates are new to the area and don’t have any friends yet. 

Swimming

Hit your local swimming pool for an enjoyable activity all ages can take part in. Many leisure centres and schools across the UK have pools along with swimming lessons for different abilities. It's an important life skill and good, low-impact exercise. Consider signing your foster child up for a term of lessons if they need to gain confidence in the water. Once they can swim reasonably well, you can have fun practicing different strokes or aquatic games like water polo together.

Cycling

Get a pair of bikes and go exploring - cycling is a cheap and eco-friendly sport that the whole family can do together. You can often pick up second hand children's bikes for low cost on FB Marketplace. Look up easy, picturesque cycling trails in your county or join broader cycle paths that run right across the UK. Bring a picnic and make a day of it. Younger kids will need stabilisers and to stick to dedicated cycling circuits or quiet parks until they feel steadier on two wheels. Frequent cycling helps foster self-reliance, responsibility and fitness.

Athletics

From sprinting and hurdles to long jump or javelin, athletics provides activities for all ages to build speed, stamina, strength and mobility. Local sports clubs catering specifically for athletics will have professional coaches and regular training sessions. You can also DIY it in your garden or at the park; set up an obstacle course and have an Olympics day with egg-and-spoon races! Not only fun but develops gross motor skills.

Tennis

A sport for life, tennis aids coordination, movement and reaction times. Check your local area for courts available for public hire, grab a couple of rackets and a few balls and have a rally! Your council will likely run tennis coaching programmes over weekends/holidays for reasonable rates too. As they find their tennis feet, you'll be running all over the court together. Great for bonding.

Hiking

Finally, lace up those walking boots and take to the bountiful British countryside right on your doorstep. Map out National Trails by region and distance to find a family-friendly route - pack drinks and snacks and make memories. Learning navigation skills, identifying wildlife and plants, appreciating landscapes; all while keeping active and breathing fresh air. Scaling that hill together is a great bonding feat for you and your foster child. Bring the family dog too for extra company!

Gently encourage your foster children to try a sport, even if they are not especially ‘sporty’. It’s a great way to make sure they get some exercise away from screens.