after school club?

Question

my 7 yr old son is quite shy and im looking for something that he could get involved in that would give him a little more confidence.he has no interest in football and i think this is where the lack of confidence has came from most of the boys in his class tend to play and he,s "left out" a lot.he can swim and i thought about a swimming club but then thought maybe he,s better with something with more contact/team work?he loves "wrestling"his dad i then thought about some sort of martial arts? any ideas would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Martial arts would be very good for confidence, self respect, self defence (inc he can go out on his own earlier), especailly if he can get good enough to look after other kids and become their hero.

Also helps with future dance moves like break dance moves in dance offs.


Break dance lessons can also help


If he likes swimming how about SCUBA diving inc with grey nurse sharks in aquariums so he can boast he;'s swam with sharks and has the video to prove it... (They eat fish not boys)

Sport wise things like extreme sports are great...


Unlike you get picked last sports like football.


Sports like snowboarding, skateboarding, skydiving, windsurfing , surfing etc are all welcoming. You set your own pace and people look out for each other... Plus they have parties and a bit wild but positive (also learns engineering, the environment etc from equipment)


I hated football and was left out... but martial arts helped...


Getting later (another 8 yars to go) into the heavey metal scene which despite appearances is very good and full of nice people, helped and I really like things like surfing, am a scuba diver, done parachut and bungee jumps etc...



Look up kite surfing and kite buggying... new sport and you can do amazing stuff like jumps that would clear a 2 story house


For martial arts look for somewhere doing ninjisu as in become a ninja


or krav maga

www.kravmaga.co.uk

what they use in buffy the vampire slayer, the FBI and MOSSAD the isreali specail forces.



Also skiing is lots of fun

Answer 2

martial arts is AWESOME for self-esteem, confidence, discipline, fitness, you name it! my 7 year old has been doing it for over a year and the change is amazing. I could never have elicited such progress on my own. I highly recommend finding a "combined" martial arts school, where he'll learn a little of everything - yoga, kick-bocking, judo, ju-jitsu, whatever. It will keep him more interested. It will also very likely lead him to take an interest in other sports down the road.

If you do go this route, one word of advice - make sure your school/instructor is not one of those that is constantly testing the kids for the next belt rank... it costs you a fortune and becomes a source of stress for the child (to try to keep up). If you're in Southern California, I suggest Combined Martial Science. Otherwise, good luck!

Answer 3

Have you asked your son what kinds of things he might like to do? Show him some brochures or pictures of different sports and activities. I used to babysit a boy who was very shy, and his mom made him join a contact sport every year. This was hard for him and he cried a lot because he wasn't as coordinated as other kids. Finally when he got hit in the head and had a big purple lump on his face, his mom pulled him out of baseball and put him in piano lessons, which he has enjoyed for years. It all depends on the child; I'd let your son pick something if I were you. My brother was a shy kid and he got hooked on chess at an early age and never played sports, but still has a lot of self-confidence and functions well in team-oriented environments.

Answer 4

Just try and find out some more things that he may like to do, and when you sit down to have a conversation with him about wanting to get him involved in some sort of camp, sport, social gathering after school, see which option brightens up his face. I'm sure that he will enjoy lots of things at the age of seven, just be prepared, and know that the joy may wear off quickly as he learns about some new activity or gets tired of the old one. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Hi

My daughter had this issue i tried dancing that didnt work i suggested to her martial arts she didnt want to do it unl she went along with a neighbour and now she loves it, she alos likes to swim and has made friends at swimming club also try trampolining and if you can get him into half term clubs as well and local activites go along and see what his reaction is then it might give you of an more idea.

Answer 6

Boy Scouts or Cubs, or a martial art would be great. All of those will build his social skills give him some self-confidence.

I was a girl guide and a girl guide leader for 10 years, and a lot of very shy, and nervous girls opened up during the meetings and such.

Answer 7

My son who is now 32 was the same at that age,We got him into the local Boxing club,He loved it and was very good at the sport which requires a lot of discipline,He went on to win the National schoolboy Boxing championship.It gave my son the confidence to make lots friends,Many of whom he is still in contact with today.
My son is now a father to 2 children of his own and says that Boxing changed his life...For the better.

Answer 8

Hi, when i was his age i was in the boys brigade,but these days things have changed.Why not try him with one of the forces cadet schemes,they will involve him in all sorts of activitys,inc. swimming.Lads and dads football is another good idea where his dad can get involved aswell.I hope that this helps you a little. Good luck.

Answer 9

Drama club works a treat-our Daughter was painfully shy until she got involved,now she has bundles of confidence,lots of friends both male and female,and most of all enjoys herself!

Answer 10

I see in the main, in the answers, suggestions are sport but what if he is arty and likes theatre, ballet, painting, music. You must ask him if he'd like to do any of these things too.