What's new
In the backyard
All of these activities have been kid-tested over many years. They are ideal in the backyard, as well the local park or anywhere your kids find themselves:
- Skipping - get your school involved in Jump Rope for Heart
- Hopscotch
- Juggling with tennis balls or beanbags
- Chasings
- Ball games, such as playing catch or kicking
- French cricket
- Hula hoop
- Pogo stick
- Frisbee – including team games like Ultimate Frisbee
- Skateboarding or roller-blading
- Bike-riding
- Gymnastics on a grass area.
You could create a backyard kit – containing balls, shuttlecock and net, frisbee, beanbags, skipping rope, etc – and keep it in the back of the car. Contact your local council for the location of swimming pools, courts and parks where you can get active.
More ideas
Child's play in your own backyard
A brochure describing a range of backyard sports, from French cricket to tin-can golf (NSW Dept of Sport and Recreation).
School holiday activities
A long list of ideas for keeping kids active during the holidays – doing things together, going on trips, playing in the backyard, etc (Child and Youth Health, South Australia).
Traditional indigenous games
A fascinating website about indigenous games, from ‘Buroinjin’ to ‘Wara’. Printable in two versions – for kids and for adults (Australian Sports Commission).
Kids in Gyms
How to run physical activity programs for young people in fitness and leisure centres
Out and about
Playing at home is not always enough. For variety and long-term involvement you could try organised sports or go walking or cycling as a family.
Organised sports
Football, netball, basketball and other favourites will be ideal for many children. But why not try darts, indoor cricket, lacrosse, marching bands or table tennis? And when your child’s found what they like, you can give them a diet to match their chosen sport.
Sports organisations
Contact details for a huge range of sports organisations – both the better-known sports and the more obscure ones (NSW Dept of Sport and Recreation).
Feeding active kids
Recipes parents can use to feed kids doing sport – a general sports cookbook plus specific booklets for football, netball and many other sports (Sports Dietitians Australia).
Kids' sport: a very real guide for grown-ups
An informative booklet, printable from the web, for parents on how kids can get the most out of sport (NSW Dept of Sport and Recreation).
Sports info
A comprehensive list of leaflets, from getting active and water safety to child protection and coaching (NSW Dept of Sport and Recreation).
Walking and cycling
New South Wales has an abundance of beautiful places to walk, particularly national parks. And cycling has never been easier for families, with cycleways being established across many metropolitan areas and around the state.
Find me a walking track
A handy guide to finding walks in national parks – type in what you want and it tells you which parks have what you’re looking for (NSW National Parks).
Road Traffic Authority (RTA) online maps of cycleways in:
Staying safe and healthy
Make sure active children:
- Drink plenty of water
- Wear the necessary protective equipment, such as a bike helmet
- Are in a safe area with adequate supervision
- Wear broad-brimmed hats, sunscreen and appropriate clothing in the sun.
On a broader level, active children need a healthy diet so they can participate fully. Remember also that, while exercise burns energy, feeding them junk food or sports drinks may mean they are still taking in more than they burn.
Child safety
Information and printable factsheets on child safety in the home, in the playground, on the road and in the water (Kidsafe NSW).
