9 low-cost sports: Keep your kids moving without breaking the bank
There are many sports and activities that cost the proverbial arm and a leg (and, sometimes, it feels like a rib and an eye too). But there are also many sports that require little to no equipment and the whole family can play together. They’re a win for fun and for your wallet. Here are just a few.
1. Skateboarding
While the popularity of skateboarding has waxed and waned since it was invented in the 1950s, it was recently named an Olympic sport. With boards at many price points, everyone from ages two to 102 can hop on for a ride. Skateboard on a level surface like a driveway, sidewalk, or schoolyard, or, once you’ve mastered some tricks, in a skate park. Don’t forget your helmet and elbow and knee pads.
2. Frisbee/disc golf
Frisbee golf can be played with two to many players. Requiring only a disc or frisbee, you can play in your backyard, a local schoolyard, or in parks. Many public parks, in fact, have frisbee golf courses already set up for free use. The rules are similar to golf. Players stand on a tee (or starting line) and take turns throwing towards a target. At a set-up course, the targets are called disc catchers and are usually metal baskets. For a DIY game, you could set up laundry baskets or hula hoops as targets. Just like golf, there are usually nine “holes” or targets, and the goal is to take as few shots as possible to get your frisbee into the hole.
3. Badminton
Badminton is a fun racquet sport for two to four players. Requiring only racquets and birdies, games can be played in a backyard, a schoolyard, a beach, or anywhere at all, with or without a net. Practice forehand and backhand, and decide whether or not you keep score. If you want to develop your game more fully, many schools teach the sport in PE class and/or have teams. Recreational and team play can also be found at some community recreation centres at a cost far lower than joining a racquet club.
4. Soccer
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. Playing with family and friends in a backyard or schoolyard, the only equipment necessary is a ball and items to mark off a net. Have fun learning the basics with various drills and your child might eventually choose to play with their school team, a team at a local recreation centre, or in a soccer league. Here’s how and when to get your child started in the sport.
5. Dance
Dancing is a fantastic way for kids to express their creativity and develop agility, balance, and coordination. It can also help kids with many other areas of their lives in interesting ways, too. Movements such as jumping, skipping, and hopping can be incorporated into dancing in your living room, at a party, or anywhere at all. With so many different genres of dance, there’s something for everyone. Many recreation centres offer low-cost dance classes for kids and parents alike.
6. Basketball
Basketball is a fun and low cost game for all. Pick up a basketball and work on shooting, catching, dribbling, and ball handling in your own driveway or schoolyard, with or without a net. Head to a local school playground or recreation centre to play as a family or with others, or join a school team to learn new skills in practices and games.
7. Hiking
The best news about hiking? Nature is free! Let your kids help pick a trail and to choose a few snacks and water for the hike. Activities during hikes are limitless. Have your kids look for different rocks or bugs. Create a scavenger hunt with a list of items that begin with every letter of the alphabet or every colour of the rainbow. Kids can balance on tree stumps, hop over roots, and climb hills.
8. Swimming
Swimming is an important life skill that can be learned with or without formal lessons. While formal lessons offered through local recreation centres are definitely going to teach kids the skills necessary to be a confident and strong swimmer, there are many ways that parents can work with their own kids. Whether it’s a pool, a lake, or a creek, the key is that kids learn to to be safe in and around water, as well as enjoy it, and that they swim well enough to be safe. For more formal lessons, check in with your local recreation centre. Once kids have mastered the skills, swimming is a wonderful (and very low-cost!) family activity.
9. Running
A pair of running shoes and off you go! Whether it’s around the block, to the end of the playground and back, or on a trail in a ravine, running is a great activity to do for fun, as a family, or with a school or organized team. Keep an eye out for undone laces!
Key takeaways
Keeping your kids moving and building skills is important and can be undertaken without compromising your family budget.
Remember to check with your local and provincial guidelines as to restrictions in the use of public and private spaces before you plan any activities.
A Club that provides Tennis and Swimming is much less expensive than Skiing. One month dues $120.00, you get tennis and swimming and much more. One lift ticket to a average Ski Resort for one day over $150.00. The Club the person gets 30 days, the Skier gets one day of skiing…
I think most sports are not expensive if you are just doing them at home with family and friends. It’s when they are organized with other kids that you have to start paying for uniforms, team fees, etc. When I was looking at this article I was looking for the more inexpensive team sports.
That’s good to note. Thanks for the feedback!
If you swim for a club it can be very expensive just for monthly dues. Also practice suits, tech suits, some goggles, and other equipment can be extremely expensive. For example tech suits can be between 200-650 dollars and some practice suits can be 75 dollars.
Skateboarding is very expensive, if you really want to get into it you need decks almost every 2 months that can cost from 60-100 and you need to get new trucks every year that cost from 70-100
First research and then write badminton is expensive sports. When u play professionally then u realize the expenses.
I think parkour is the cheapest because you will not have to buy any clothing or equipment and it is easy to learn.
The dance is not cheap at all, it is very expensive, even if you just do classes it can still be very pricey.
What about biking? We do a lot of hand me down bikes for our 4 kids, and they love it! We’ve just started mtn biking, but the gear is expensive. We will probably stick to trail and road biking.
MTB is actually a very expensive sport the bikes and parts can cost thousands if you want to do it professionally look up the Santa Cruz v10 or the GT fury 2022 they can cost more than £5,000 If not 10 road biking once again is very expensive bikes cost thousands the cheapest part of biking is probably BMX but even then the bikes can still cost over 2,000 for a good quality one don’t even get me started on the gear I do MTB as a hobby and I just spent £300 on jerseys, body armour and helmets and I’ve also just bought a GT Fury pro for more than 6,500