The list of benefits sports and high-exercise games provide to children is virtually endless. In addition to the lessons in camaraderie, teamwork and goal setting, sports can keep children healthy. According to a 2010 University of Southern California study, an average difference of just 16 minutes of daily exercise separates normal-weight children from their obese peers. With the Internet and video games, it can be difficult to get your kid to work up a sweat, but it's easy to offer her a wide array of sports and games to play.
Soccer
Soccer is the world's most popular sports among athletes and spectators, including kids. Each team has 11 players -- a mix of forwards, midfielders, defenders and one goalie. It's an effective way to encourage creativity and develop coordination because all players except the goalie can dribble the ball only using their feet. It's one of the best sports for cardio activity; fields are up to 120 yards long and 80 yards wide, so players rarely ever stop running after the ball.
Kickball
Kickball has long been a favorite schoolyard game. It's a hybrid combination of two sports, combining the kicking of soccer and the base running and scoring system of baseball. The pitcher rolls the ball toward home plate, where the kicker runs up and kicks it as hard as she can and then takes off for first base. Like in baseball, if a ball is caught in midair or fielded and thrown to first before the runner arrives, the player who kicked it is out. Kickball is a game anyone can play because kicking a rolling rubber ball doesn't require the same level of skill needed to hit a smaller ball with a bat.
Football
Football has become enormously popular in American culture, both in terms of spectating and playing the game. There are youth leagues coast to coast, and you can choose whether you enroll your child in tackle football or flag football. While tackle football will provide a skill base for children who'd like to play in high school and possibly beyond, flag football offers a safer alternative. Rather than tackling opposing players, in flag football players grab flags that hand from one anothers' waistbands. It's a good workout, too: In 30 minutes of flag football, a 125-lb. person can burn 240 calories.
Floor Hockey
It's virtually impossible to casually play ice hockey because of all of the equipment, the difficulty of playing and the need for an ice rink in which to play. But there's a far easier alternative: floor hockey. The rules and setup of floor hockey are much the same as traditional hockey, only it's played on a gym floor, with plastic sticks and pucks. Floor hockey is a favorite gym class activity and can be enjoyed by girls and boys alike.
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