4 Ways to Get a Bookworm to Try a New Sport
We love an athletic bookworm, but what if your bookworm isn't an athlete?
As a kid who was a bookworm, not in any way an athlete until much later, bringing girls into sport is really important to me... and unfortunately, I see a lot of well meaning adults trying to force their bookworms to do sports that don’t speak to them. That’s why Strong Girl Publishing exists! To help young girls see themselves in different sports—no matter what they’re into. If you’re trying to get your bookworm out of her reading nook, here are my tips:
⚾️Don’t force a specific sport
My parents really pushed softball, but you know what I hated? Softball. Individual sports would have been more my groove. I loved biking, but had no idea that it was something that you could pursue, other than to ride around the block (or race the Tour de France, which I genuinely believed was the only bike race in the world until I was 20).
🛶Make first attempts low-key
Especially for the shy kiddos, a clinic may not be the best place to start mountain biking. Try some really chill rides on easy local trails first, hikes with the family, or a drop-in club event or dance class rather than a series of lessons. You may also want to bring them up to speed with a private session in whatever they’re interested in, if you have the resources to hire a coach. Sometimes that can go a long way to increasing confidence!
🏃🏻♀️Look at what the characters they love are doing
I always say that I read the Babysitter’s Club series and started babysitting. But most books have some kind of activity in them (Quidditch, anyone?). Skim your bookworm’s bookshelf to see if any of their main characters do any sports or outdoor activities…and if you can’t find one, grab a book from the Shred Girls series to nudge them towards bikes, or The Strong Girl for more all-around athletics! (Pssst. On the note of private sessions, I did a trapeze class myself to celebrate the launch of The Strong Girl as a nod to its circus theme… and it was a blast!)
🚵🏻♀️ Go slow— it may take time to find their groove
It may also trying take a few different sports! Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint (possibly literally?).
📚 ...and of course, make sure they still have plenty of reading time!
Trust me, us bookworms get real grumpy when we can’t finish a book over the weekend. So don’t make it an either/or proposition: Let your bookworm read in the car on the way to practice or the trailhead if they’re engrossed in their book. Make sure you’re not forcing them to choose!
Support Strong Girl Publishing
And just a reminder, we’ve added a paid tier here on Substack. Our goal is to allow our authors to get the greatest percentage of payouts on their books. (Founder Molly Hurford’s book profits all go directly back into the business!) That means every little bit helps, and we’ll be using all proceeds from Substack subs to help promote author’s books, boost their payouts when we share their content, and generally keep the lights on.
And while all newsletter content will remain free, paid subscribers will be getting some rad benefits, like sneak peeks from books months before they hit the shelves, and the chance to volunteer to be an early reader—meaning we send you a free book!
And with that, thank you so much for any/all of your support, it means the world. Whether you choose to jump into the paid plan or you continue free, I’m just so thankful you’re along for the ride. Anytime you share this with friends, send books to girls in your life, shop the Strong Girl Publishing store… my heart bursts with gratitude. I appreciate you all!
-Molly (and the Shred Girls)