Archery For Kids - Fun And Games With Big Benefits
by Terry Torres
How would you feel if you could find a sport for your kids that provides physical, mental, emotional, and social benefits and is fun as well? You don't have to look any further than the sport of archery. Check out these personal perks your child gets from participating in archery and a number of ways to keep it interesting for them.
The Benefits of Archery
Archery is a sport that requires both physical and mental effort. Because it is a combined endeavor kids get more out of it than just a great work out.
Archery builds upper body strength and balance.
It requires careful focus as the participant aims and shoots at targets.
It is mentally challenging because the archer must think about multiple things at once (e.g. body placement, bow placement, the angle of the arrow, the tension of the string, the target, and the direction and speed of the wind).
It allows children to learn the positive aspects of competition. Archery is an individual sport. To become better they are essentially competing against themselves, trying to perform better than they have previously.
It teaches children responsibility as they master the rules of archery, care for equipment, and watch out for the safety of others.
Although it's not a team sport, archery provides an opportunity for socializing with other students.
Children develop confidence and self-esteem as their skills improve and they master increasingly difficult challenges.
Keeping Archery Fun and Interesting for Kids
One way to keep kids interested in a sport is to make it fun. Constant practice and drills can get really old and boring. Turning practice into a game keeps it fresh and fun for your kids. Here are some fun options that are easy to set up outdoors or indoors at a range, like the one at Wilcox Bait Tackle.
Distance shooting - Ditch the targets and replace them with lines on the ground measuring 50, 100, 150, and 200 feet away from the shooting area. Let your kids see how far they can shoot.
Archery Golf - This activity is similar to Frisbee golf. Set up hula hoops, targets, or boxes 75 to 300 yards apart. The number of "holes" you make depends on the space you have available. The children take turns shooting at the first target on the course until they hit it. Each shot counts as 1 point. After they have all hit the target they move on to the next one until they have hit them all. The child with the lowest score at the completion of the course wins. You can up the intensity of this activity by setting a par for each target.
Ground Targets - Kids learn a whole new skill when they have to shoot at a ground target instead of a hanging target. Place a pole in an open space. Using grass paint, create circles with 3, 9, and 12 foot diameters around the pole. The child whose arrow lands closest to the pole wins. You could also assign a point value to each ring and add up the points from the combined shots to find the winner. To ensure safety, make sure that all participants shoot from the same side.
Pop the Balloon - Balloons make challenging targets because they move in the breeze and have to be hit just right to pop. Attach several balloons to targets or hang them from a wire and let the shooting begin. Make the game even more fun by placing goodies in the balloons for the kids to eat after they are popped.
Bowling - This game uses the scoring rules of bowling. Kids shoot at a 10-ring target. They get 2 shots per turn. Shooting a ten on their first shot is scored like a strike and their turn is over. If they shoot two scores that add up to 10 it is scored like a spare. The scores for each turn are added together. Whoever has the highest score after each participant has had ten turns wins.
Tournaments - Choose 3 or 4 of the above activities and turn the activity into a tournament.
Archery is a great sport for kids. It can be done indoors or outdoors, making it possible to participate year round. With some creativity and effort on your part you can help your kids improve in many areas of their lives while having fun and developing a love for archery.