after school activities

[scotchick]

How many activities do your kids do after school? I used to be really against any organised activity but now feel like I've been sucked in! Fearing my kids do too much. how much IS too much??

[KBear]

My DD is 7, going into year 3. She goes to Ballet on a Saturday for an hour, Brownies on a Tuesday and one after school club (choir last year). I think that's enough but some of her friends do something every night, sometimes ballet and swimming on the same night!

I think it's important to have a bit of tv time or play time before homework etc and even time to get bored and get the old imagination going is always good!

[scotchick]

anyone else?

[blossom2]

i've got the same dilemma. DD1 at the moment does about 3/4 activities however i know this needs to be cut down once she starts school in Jan 07. I'm thinking swimming with dad on saturday and one activities during the week.

[sparklemagic]

I'm starting DS who is four on 'activities' this year, he does swimming lessons on a saturday am and I think we will introduce one more activity, an evening one, once he has started school.

I think it's healthy to have a life outside school so that it doesn't seem as if school is the be all and end all of life....and also to offer the experience of activities they won't get in school. My ds is very active indeed and I worry that he will hate the sitting down involved with school so I'm thinking of very physical stuff for him.

But tbh I think I would want him to have more 'free' veg out evenings than those taken up with organised stuff. Veg out, boredom time is incredibly important to physical and mental wellbeing in my humble opinion.

[notasheep]

Ballet on Saturday,Swimming on Tuesday and rest of the time dd uses her imagination and power jumps from trees

[Glassofwine]

I feel strongly about this one, All my three have one activity a week, DD1 drama, DD2 Ballet, DS1 football - the rest of the time is for playing/having friends over/homework/being bored & using their imaginations. This could change in Sept as DD1 moves into yr3 and therefore eligable for lots of afterschool clubs, but I don't think she'll want to do many - if she's mega keen on something then ok.

Sometimes I wonder if all this filling their diaries up is to make life easier for the parents in a guilt free kind of way.

[Gobbledigook]

Ds1 is going into year 1 and he will have:

Monday - karate
Wednesday - football
Friday - french (only half an hour this one)
Saturday - swimming lesson and football

[Gobbledigook]

The karate is a free 5 week taster course so he won't necessarily carry on - only if he wants to. Might drop one of the football sessions too.

[Katymac]

DD (8)had last year
Gym
Brownies
Piano
Youth Club
Modern Dance
After school and Ballroom on a Sat am

This year Gym is going (to a lunchtime club)

I agree about having time to just "be" - however DD is a perpetual motion machine - she is on the go the whole time

She rarely gets bored for more than a few minutes as she moves on to something else

She can watch TV/run around in the garden etc most evenings despite her activities as until 6 I am working (I childmind) & she does this extensively at week end...often whole days

She insisted on starting sailing this summer and has thrived as she misses her activities so much

She has set up little half hour lessons where she "teaches" the minded children what she has learnt in her classes (fun as most are under 2)

It's a hard decision to make

[Blandmum]

dd does brownies, karate and as of the last 6 months piano lessons ( after she nagged me for 6 months) She is 9. She wants to do a saterday morning thing but we have veto'd it as she does too much already.

ds does karate, ball skills and a craft thing that seems to mostly junk modeling. he is 6

[pointydog]

DD1 has guides, has done a block of badminton and occasionally goes horseriding at the weekend (she would love to go more often).

Dd2 has brownies and swimming on a Saturday. This year she will be old enough for things like the badminton lessons.

I definitely don't want them doing more than this!

[scotchick]

My ds2 is 5 and very active and sporty. For some ridiculous reason he has been doing gymnastics for the last year (mega money making scheme for suckers like me) and I've signed him up again, but am seriously going to rethink after this term. He also does judo which is SO him, and is in a swimming club which trains twice a week which I know sounds awful but is very cheap and he genuinely seems to love it. Also he has come on so well compared to the normal lessons he was doing before which are useless in comparison. He has the option of boys brigade (like scouts for all you southerners) but thank goodness isn't interested. My ds1 is 7 and does the swimming, judo and bb. I agree that veg out time is important and I feel the way their clubs are that they seem to have plenty of time for that. Also having friends round to hang out is really important. My kids don't seem to get much homework so hobbies don't interfere with that. I do wonder about the wee one though, very much hoping to drop the gym.

[scotchick]

that didn't read right. Obviously I am the suckee, not the sucker of the money making scheme. Oh you know what I mean

[notasheep]

in my dreams ds will go to ballet too

[Mumwifefriend]

When I had my first couple of children I used to fret so much over this. I used to sign them up for all sorts, but they'd invariably get bored and find much more productive things to do at home leaving me severly out of pocket and wondering why I had such odd children! But now I have 6 kids and they are all offered the chance to do a couple of after school activities, but I don't worry one bit if some of them don't fancy drama, ballet, football etc.

I think children will always let you know if they're doing too much. The sad thing is when they actually WANT to do stuff but aren't given the opportunity.

[Orinoco]

Message withdrawn

[hulababy]

DD starts reception this September, aged 4y5m.

At the moment she does dancing on a Saturday morning; just a half hour class.

At school she will do after school club one day a week, when I work late. She can choose to do activities then but not sure what that will be yet.

She will already being doing ballet and gym at school each week, ans I believe music/instruments is something they all do too.

But nothing else yet. We are having problems because of her age. She can't do pre-school activities as she is at school, but round here most of the other activities for reception children start from age 5 - swimming, trampolning, Rainbows, skating, etc.

[mrsdarcy]

DS1 is going into yr 2. He does piano and tennis, both on a Saturday morning. He is starting Beavers in September as an after school activity.

DS2 is going into yr 1 and until recently was adamant that he didn't want me to sign him up for anything. He now would like do to Gymbobs - no idea what it is like but we'll give it a go. He needs to do something his brother doesn't do, iyswim. He has also recently said he wants to do karate so I'll have a look for that too, although I'm not sure about his motive!

I don't particularly want them to have v full diaries. I think they both benefit from time at home.