If you want your kids to have stronger bones and avoid osteoporosis later in life, encouraging gymnastics and other high-impact sports activities before they hit puberty could really help. Research shows that girls who participate in gymnastics, particularly artistic gymnastics, have much greater bone density than girls who are active in other less strenuous activities.

The keys are jumping, sprinting, and rapid direction changes, which all put stress on the bones and encourage them to grow stronger. So some sports besides gymnastics can also be good for bone development such as basketball, soccer, and lacrosse to name a few.