Kids Skills and Activities are really important to grow their mental health as well as make them a good human being. Kids skills and activities like Skateboarding, Beat Boxing, Cup Stacking, Flying Discs, Skipping, Keepie – Uppie, Hula Hooping, Inline skating, Body Popping, Balloon animals, Juggling etc. make them active to improve their stamina and help them to decide a decision in a critical condition.
Top 12 Best Kids Skills and Activities
Here are the top Top 12 Best Kids Skills and Activities I have discussed in details. So, let’s check the following 12 best kids skills and activies:
1. Skateboarding
Skateboarding is one of those skills with plenty of cool factor, but it’s not just about looking edgy — this skill also does a lot for kids’ fitness and sense of balance.
What’s in it for your child?
- Skateboarding is great for developing core strength, balance and agility
- Skateboarding has a lot in common with surfing and snowboarding, so if your child is interested in those sports, this is a great skill to start off with
Get started
- Learning to skateboard usually involves falling, so be prepared with plenty of safety equipment including wrist guards, knee pads, elbow pads and a helmet
- The trick to falling is to override instinct and not use your hands to break your fall — rather, roll into it and allow your shoulder and body to take the fall, protecting your wrists
- The first thing to learn is stopping: try a footbreak stop by dragging your back foot on the ground
Tips and tricks
- Ollie: snap the tail down with your back foot while sliding your front foot up the board and jumping, so it looks like you’re jumping up with the skateboard stuck to your feet
- Kickturns: balance on your back wheels for a moment and swing your board to a new direction
- Truck stands: stand on either of your trucks and balance on the tail of the skateboard
Terms to know
- Deck: this is the piece of wood the skater stands on
- Trucks: each skateboard has two trucks that attach the wheels to the skateboard
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2. Juggling
Juggling is a performance-friendly skill that always impresses, but it’s also a very meditative activity that many kids find very calming.
What’s in it for your child?
- Juggling helps to develop quick reflexes
- As juggling is a meditative sort of activity, kids can find it very relaxing
- Juggling is a very performable skill: mastering it even in its basic form and then sharing it with others can help kids develop self-confidence
Get started
- Beginners should expect to drop things a lot, so start juggling something that won’t cause any damage should it land on the floor or the juggler: beanbags or soft balls are best
- The simplest pattern is the three-ball cascade, where the juggler starts with two balls in one hand and one in the other: start by throwing one of the two balls up in an arc, then throw the single ball up before catching the first ball, and continuing with each hand throwing one ball and catching another
Tips and tricks
- Once your juggler masters the three-ball cascade, move on to a five-ball cascade
- The shower is a juggling pattern that works for as few as two objects: one hand throws the object up, and the other hand catches the object and passes it back to the first hand
- The fountain is another pattern that can be used for an even number of objects, as each hand juggles separately — objects are not passed between the hands
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3. Balloon animals
Making balloon animals is a fun and creative skill that tends to yield all sorts of new toys and games.
What’s in it for your child?
- Even though it can be practiced alone, making balloon animals is a very social skill
- This skill helps kids develop improved dexterity and hand-eye co-ordination
Get started
- Your child will need an assortment of balloons in various colours and something to inflate the balloons with, usually an air pump (it can be difficult to inflate balloons via the mouth)
- It helps to have some step-by-step instructions in image or video format
- The easiest animal to make is the wiener dog, a long-bodied animal made with one balloon and several twists
Tips and tricks
- Be sure not to over-inflate or under-twist: precision is important with this skill
- Before going on to make balloon animals out of two or more balloons, your child can create a veritable menagerie of one-balloon animals: dogs, giraffes, monkeys, bears and even an elephant’s head, ears and trunk
- Balloons can be used for more than just animals: try making swords, helmets and wands
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4. Inline skating
Inline skating is a high-energy outdoor skill that teaches kids balance and helps develop strength and fitness.
What’s in it for your child?
- Fitness: inline skating can be great exercise, so it’s good for kids’ cardiovascular fitness
- Once kids are competent and confident, inline skating is a great way to get around
- This skill is great for developing balance and core strength
- What works on pavements also works on ice: inline skaters make brilliant ice skaters!
See Also:
Get started
- Get skates that fit comfortably and have plenty of ankle support
- Safety equipment is a must: don’t skate without a wrist guards, knee pads and a helmet
- Start on grass or carpet, balancing on one skate and then the other with knees slightly bent and shins pressed forward into the skate; try to hold each position for a few seconds
- Again on grass or carpet, close your eyes and find your balance — once you’ve got this, it’s time to try it out on pavement
- If you think you’re going to fall, just drop: it’s easier and less risky than falling forward onto your hands and wrists
Tips and tricks
- The basic skate involves pushing away from the ground behind you with the back foot, and gliding forward on the front foot
- The easiest way to stop is by using the heel stop that comes on most skates, but you can also try a T-stop or a sideways stop (as in skiing)
- Crossovers are a great trick to master: rather than facing the direction you are going, skate side-on, along a curved path, with the back foot crossing over the front foot
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5. Basketball
Speed, strength and confidence, whether you’re on the court with a team or practicing your dribble, lay-ups and shots alone.
What’s in it for your child?
- Fitness: basketball helps develop speed and aerobic fitness
- Agility: when played in a team, basketball involves dodging, feinting and darting around
- Team sports help kids develop a sense of sportsmanship and learn to work as part of a team
Get started
- Learn to dribble: grab a ball, find a hard surface, and bounce the ball against the ground, touching it only with the pads of the fingers
- Develop your ball-handling skills: experiment with dribbling over distances and with increased speed; try passing overhand and from the chest
Tips and tricks
- Shoot! It takes time to get good at scoring, but practice makes perfect — encourage your child to take shots from a range of different position on the court
- Basketball is a non-contact sport with one very strict rule: players cannot carry the ball, they must dribble it at all times
Terms to know
- Lay-up: this is the name for the move where a player runs and dribbles up to the basked, then leaps in the air to shoot
- Block: in team play, when a player from one team prevents an opposing player from shooting or passing… without touching that player
- Swish: when a player makes a basket without touching the rim — ‘swish’ is the sound this makes
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See Also:
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6. Hula Hooping
Develop strength and coordination with a hula hoop. Start with the hoop around your waist, then mix things up by twirling it round your neck, arms and legs.
What’s in it for your child?
- Hula hooping helps kids develop core strength and body-confidence
- Just about anyone can do this… even parents! It’s a fun skill to share with your kids
Get started
- Hold the hoop against your back, a little above the waist
- Push the hoop around your waist
- Shift your weight back and forth on your feet to keep it moving
Tips and tricks
- Be sure the hoop is big enough: to measure, stand the hoop in front of the hula-hooper: it should come to somewhere between stomach and nipple height
- Larger hoops are better for beginners, while smaller hoops are better for speed and tricks
- Rather than moving your hips in a circular motion, put one foot in front of the other and shift your weight back and forth in a rocking or pumping motion
- If twirling the hoop around the hips is proving tricky, try hooping with the hands to get a feel for the movement
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7. Keepie – Uppie
Develop control on the pitch by juggling the football with your feet, lower legs, knees, chest, shoulders and head… but whatever you do, don’t let the ball to hit the ground.
What’s in it for your child?
- Fitness — keepie-uppie is a great way of developing strength and aerobic fitness
- Playing keepie-uppie helps kids improve their agility and develop quick reflexes
- What boy doesn’t want to be a footballer? Keepie-uppie is an easy way for your kids to develop some basic footballing skills so they feel confident joining a kickabout or organized match.
Tips and tricks
- If the ball is coming from a height, cushion the fall by ‘catching’ it with your thigh — this makes the ball easier to control with your feet
- Don’t do too many headers in a row — it can make you dizzy
- If the ball is coming down beside you and you don’t have time to move, kick up with the outside of your foot to get the ball up again and give yourself time to reposition
Top moves
- Round the world: kick the ball up, and while it’s in the air, quickly circle your foot around the ball, then kick it up again as soon as your foot is back under it
- Shoulder juggle: hit the ball up with a shoulder, then with the other shoulder — go back and forth as many times as you can
- Neck catch: when the ball is about head-high, bend over so it lands on the base of your neck
- Head stall: slow the ball with a couple of gentle headers until you can ‘catch’ it in the space between your nose and eyebrows — wait a couple of seconds and then push it up again
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8. Skipping
Start out with the basic moves, then graduate to Double-Dutch and musical skipping games for larger groups of kids.
What’s in it for your child?
- Skipping is great physical exercise for both athletic and non-athletic kids
- It can be done anywhere, all you need are a rope and a little bit of space
- Group games help develop teamwork skills and coordination
Get started
- Start with the basic jump: stand with the feet slightly apart, grasp an end of the rope in each hand, bring the rope over the head and jump over it with both feet
- Once you’ve mastered the basic jump, gather some speed by using alternate feet to jump off the ground — you can double your skips per minute this way
Tips and tricks
- Criss-cross: Do the basic jump, but mid-jump cross your wrists in front of you so your left hand goes to the right side of your body, and your right hand to your left side
- Double under: Jump up a little bit higher than usual and make two revolutions with the rope instead of one, so it passes under your feet twice before they touch the ground again
- The toad: This is a complicated trick where the jumper performs the cross manoeuvre but with one arm crossing under the opposite leg from the inside
- Triples, quads and quins: It is possible to have the rope swing three times under the feet (triple under); in competitive jump rope you may even see quadruples (quads) and quintuples (quins)
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9. Cup Stacking
Speed-stack cups in specific sequences as an individual or a team, either against the clock or other players.
What’s in it for your child?
- It’s been scientifically proven that cup stacking improves children’s ambidexterity, concentration and hand-eye coordination by up to 30%
- Cup stacking uses both sides of the brain, improving your child’s reaction time and even reading comprehension
- It’s really fun – it’s got the ‘cool’ factor
- Athleticism is not a necessary prerequisite to cup stacking — less sporty kids can do just as well or even better than more athletic kids
- Kids can practice on their own or with friends
Get started
- You don’t need special cups to start stacking — just find three same-size, relatively stiff plastic cups
- It’s crucial to have a firm, flat surface that’s been cleared of any breakables
- Start off with cups tucked into each other, then set up a pyramid, then take it apart
- Add in more cups or more complicated sequences as kids grow more confident with the skill
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10. Flying Discs
Flying discs, or frisbees, are brilliant fun in all sorts of games, from catch to golf or Ultimate. As they’re a bit larger and easier to catch than balls, they are especially good for beginners.
What’s in it for your child?
- It’s easy to learn — everyone can play, with no prior training required
- Flying discs are a perfect play-anywhere game: they’re easy to carry around, and all you need to play is a bit of space
- Teammates not required: kids can practice tricks and new moves on their own
- Team play is social and collaborative, teaching kids how to pass, share and work together
Get started
- The easiest way to catch a flying disc is to clasp it between the hands, one on top and one on the underside, or to grab it along the edge
- To throw a flying disc, lightly hold the rim with one side and, holding the disc flat over the ground at about chest height, use your wrist to bring it towards you and then fling it away
Tips and tricks
- Ultimate is a great game to play with a flying disc: modelled after American football, it is a non-contact sport where teams compete to get the flying disc into the opposing endzone
- Try flying disc freestyle: using a slightly lighter freestyle disc, throw the disc in the air and try stalling it with your shoulder, catching it with your feet, and all sorts of other tricks
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11. Beat Boxing
Make a whole range of sounds, from drum beats to bass and rhythm, using only your mouth as an instrument. It’s fun to do and really cool to watch.
What’s in it for your child?
- Beat boxing is great for building improvisation and memorisation skills
- Performing in front of others can help kids gain confidence
- Spontaneous rhyming can help kids acquire literacy skills
Get started
- Start with the basic percussion sounds and repeat them on their own until you are happy you’re getting them right
- Add in another sound or create sequences step by step: it’s easy to get frustrated, but with this skill, practice is everything
A bit of history
Beat boxing is a form of vocal percussion. It can include singing and the vocal imitation of turntablism as well as the simulation of horns, strings and other instruments. Beat boxing is a form of storytelling that is connected to hip hop culture, but beat boxers can create all kinds of sounds, not just hip hop.
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12. Body Popping
Move to the beat by quickly contracting and relaxing your muscles. Put together a sequence of moves to really wow the crowd.
What’s in it for your child?
- Body popping is cool and social — it’s a great skill to have and share
- Body popping teaches kids agility and confidence, and helps them feel comfortable in their own bodies
Top moves
- Popping: Mainly using the upper body, quickly contract and relax the muscles to cause a jerk
- Hitting: Contract and relax the muscles as with popping, but this time use the upper and lower body at the same time
- Banging: This is a more intense version of hitting
- Vibrating hits/trembling: Piece together a sequence of quivering hits and perform it with real intensity
- Dimestopping: Stop all body movement without even a shadow of a jerk — tricky and impressive
- Strobing: A rapid sequence of dimestopping
- Ticking: A rapid sequence of hitting or popping
- Airposing: With a relaxed body, bounce or sink to the beat of the music and pose on every beat
- Angles: This comes with a bit more experience — once your child develops a heightened awareness and control of their body, they can start to create sequences of linear forms and patterns using their arms, legs and torso
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