Katie Bulmer-Cooke: Sport sessions great for kids

We are officially half way through the summer holidays, and in a bid to break the boredom, on Wednesday we headed to Barnes Park to get involved in the Big Community Sports Festival.
"Coaches delivering the sports sessions were brilliant.""Coaches delivering the sports sessions were brilliant."
"Coaches delivering the sports sessions were brilliant."

These events have taken place in parks and open spaces across the city, every Wednesday throughout the school holidays and will continue right up until the kids go back to school.

When the sun is shining, it’s great getting the kids out in the fresh air and even despite the odd bit of drizzle here and there, we stayed at the event for almost three hours.

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My little girl, who is seven, was well entertained and she got to take part is a range of different sports such as football and hockey as well as some lesser known or played sports like Tug of War, Hand Ball and even one I’d never seen before…Happy Feet.

Happy Feet is like a crazy cross between football and hockey using big foam feet on sticks.

The field was packed with kids of all ages, giving everything a try and getting stuck in.

It makes me so happy to see so many young people being active and enjoying sport.

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One of my pet hates is seeing kids glued to tablets, phones and gaming consoles.

I fully appreciate that such technology is a big part of the world we live in, but too much unmoderated time on these devices is not good for social skills or health.

I know it’s often an easy option and kids enjoy time on their devices, but for me, getting them active, whether it’s a quick walk or an afternoon out playing sport, is absolutely how they should be spending the holidays.

The coaches, who were delivering the sports sessions at the event, were brilliant too. They were so enthusiastic and encouraging and got even the shyest and inexperienced of kids involved and enjoying the activities.

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The coaches were excellent role models too, and must have been shattered by the end of the day, as they played every game with the kids.

It’s not uncommon to hear people speak negatively about the city council, but in my opinion, there’s not a bad word that could be said about them when it comes to these events.

It was well organised, got tons of people on board, parents were happy, kids were happy, and it was only £1 to take part…no matter how many sports you played or how long you stayed.

If you’re looking for ways to keep the kids active, entertained and happy for the remainder of the holidays, I’d highly recommend it.

This coming week it’s taking place at Seaburn on Wednesday and it’s absolutely worth checking out.