Boost your child’s confidence, improve their concentration and give them a creative outlet to make new friends and have fun. Try a FREE class at Perform (4-8s), Perform Plus (8-12s) or Mini Ps (3 months – 3 years). 120 venues across London and the SE. www.perform.org.uk
Just reading through another thread and I am suprised at how many activities some young children do. I ahve no idea how people fit them all in and their children have time to play and relax.
But anyway - just wondered - do our children do more formal after school activities/weekend classes that we did when little?
When I was at primary I did one activitiy - Brownies.
Yep, that'll be a 'none' from me. Dancing on a Saturday morning... but thinking about it now that might have been so Mum & Dad could go round the supermarket with one less child in tow
i was really spirty so didi netball, hockey,athletics,tennis,roundres but it wa swhen i was about 9-12 so i used to walk home a bit later than usual so it had no impact on my mum
the only club i rememmeber was brownies and i didint want to do that. plus my mum didint have a car and had a bbay when i was prime Club age so probably actively discouraged it
I did ballet twice a week at primary. At 9 I started doing english lessons. But it was a very informal setting, as it was at a friend of mine place and her mother would teach us (she was good but with a strong italian accent )
Btw, I hated being interrupted in my games to go to ballet classes.
my mum never did any so over-compensated wildly with me and my sisters - at one point I was doing violin, piano, recorder, choir, orchestra, ballet, swimming, ice-skating and horse-riding - it was absolutely exhausting and how my mum got us from one activity to another as well as working as a teacher I'll never know ...
Nothing, not a sausage. I don't even remember there being much available tbh - a few of the girlie-girls went to dancing classes but that wasn't my thing. Other than that we just did played outside.
Mind you, that was forty years ago so I guess that makes a difference.
Nothing, we played outside in the street with the other children in the street <looks around> without adult supervision. Oh the joys of growing up in the 70's .
I did ballet once a week and twice a week (sometimes 3) if an exam was looming. I loved it. DS (8) does: Tennis and swimming all year round. Soccer in the winter and Cricket in the summer.
I was a Brownie at one point, and after that I was a naval cadet for a while - not sure if that was late primary age or early secondary age though).
DH wants me to find DD a gymnastics class, but I've said no way is she doing THREE after school activities at just four, I want her to have friends round for tea, and go to friends for tea, and even play out with the kids next-door-but-one.
Ballet and Brownies - hated ballet and gave up as soon as I could find a good excuse and tolerated brownies but manage to escape when it came to guides though
I was thinking about this too - it's not just primary school, is it? When dd was still 3 I knew kids going to ballet, gymnastics, swimming etc, etc.
I did ride quite a lot from about 6 or 7. Had piano lessons for a few years, tried ballet about twice, Brownies once. Oh, had swimming lessons because my mum was terrified of the water and was determined we wouldn't be. A few tennis lessons.
That sounds like quite a lot now I look at it, but I didn't feel like I was doing much, most of my after school activities involved playing in the garden or watching tv.
was going to say no activities, but forgot about brownies, also did dancing but didn't like it. Did a kids club at the sport centre on a saturday morning.
Brownies Ballet Tap - but that was Saturday mornings 2 nights a week clubs run by the school, changed every term. 2 nights a week swimming but only from April to October.
I was just thinking I didn't really do anything after school then remembered all the things I actually went to!
Piano - hated it! Teacher used to smack her pencil across my knuckles when I got notes wrong!! Friday club - Sunday school on a friday (I loved it!) Brownies - loved that too. County orchestra (violin) - not quite sure how this came about because I couldn't actually play the violin very well. Pottery classes on a Saturday morning - this was, by far, my favourite!! I still have lots of plates/dishes that I made when I was 8!!!!
We lived in a tiny village but were lucky there were so many activities available. I don't think most of them are still running though.
ballet till i was six gymnastics for a bit brownies, sporadically piano lessons swimming lessons after school [got an early dart for that] sunday school! occasional drama workshop not a lot of this overlapped though, was always a dilletante
I did ballroom and latin for a bit until I got bored! I used to do first aid at the Red Cross which my mum didn't mind as she thought I was getting something useful out of it and it was cheap. Other than that I only went to the local youth club.
My brother didn't do anything (didn't want to) and my sister had guitar lessons.
ironically, my brother is now an extremely accomplished pianist who nevertheless cannot read music at all - and who still has to get me to tell him what note pieces start on. He is also a fantastic pencil artist, and actually has a girlfriend a a full time job (the only one out of the three to do this at this time)
Oh I forgot - from 12 I played the cornet and took myself to band practice twice a week and to whatever events the band held over Christmas and in the summer. My parents didn't get involved, wouldn't get involved, and I loved the autonomy, that I had a huge part of me that they had not brought about, but I did feel very sad at the events watching the other players and their families, who were very very careful NOT to leave me out (bless them). It was not a childen's band, it was a town brass band (think brassed off, just like that) and thinking back, I used to get lifts with anyone.
Brownies, briefly. I hated it and begged not to go. Swimming. Also hated that. Did it until I could swim a width then stopped. Sunday School and other church things (not my choice)
Wanted to do ballet but wasn't allowed.
I hated organised activities and resented the time they took up when I could think of 1001 things I'd rather do with the time.
Brownies, swimming, school choir and Sunday school. Also remember GFS. Think this stood for Girls Friendly Society, and was connected in some way to the church.
Was not allowed to play a musical instrument or have riding lessons because of cost.
I tried tap and ballet when I was about 5 and hated them. I did Brownies for a bit. I went swimming after school on my own when I was in middle school. I went to the library on my own from middle school age. The whole time I was at school all I really did was play out with friends every day and follow my parents about at weekends on their endless outdoor pursuits.
I've been really worried about this. My 5 year old is a complete home boy and is adamant he doesn't want to do any activities. Personally I'm not bothered by this, and feel that 5 is very young, a time when unstructured play is good. All of my friends' kids have clubs and activities coming out of their ears. Today I was told 'they have to start football at 5 - starting at 6 is too late as they will be behind. And football is critical socially'. When I said 'well we didn't do much at 5', I was firmly told that it was different for boys. Is there not something wrong, when a 5 year old is written off because he's not already taking lessons? Oh, and he's going to be a social failure into the bargain. Am I losing the plot or is it all getting a bit out of hand???
Was about to say 'nothing much' and then started totting it up...
brownies - for about one week. v boring ballet - for long enough to do one exam. all that hairspray and special kit - not for me. gymnastics - loved it. horseriding - learnt to ride at about seven, did occasional rides after that violin and piano lessons.
So, quite a lot really. I ahve to say, I don't think I started any of them before about 7. And I still feel like I ahd lots of time to go round to friends houses and just hang out.
cathwale - that's baloney about needing to start football at 5 - if your ds wants to play football when he's a bit older then if he has any talent at all he'll pick it up pretty quickly - and there are plenty of boys who don't like football - it's not compulsory!
neither of my boys was doing anything other than swimming lessons at 5 - both did a little bit of football at 6 but didn't particularly enjoy it so stopped after a few months - ds1 discovered swimming club at 7 and ds2 has been going to cycling club for about 18 months and discovered cricket this summer (he's nearly 9)but at 5 he simply wasn't ready for anything structured
even more shamefully despite practically getting a medal for long service to blardy Maypole i only ever made it to one off "stand in" May Queen at the village fete
The real May Queen was on holiday - which was announced on loudspeaker just as i skipped triumphantly onto the village green
LOL, I think I tried everything as a child, including...
Brownies, Guides, Girls brigade, Judo, Karate, Gymnastics, Ballet tap and modern, Ballroom dancing, Disco dancing, Horse riding, Swimming, Majorettes, Scouts and then I also learnt to play the cornet and violin. Then there were the inschool / afterschool clubs that I went to including the Christian union club type thingy, choir and school show...
The list goes on, but that's all I can remember for now. Some hobbies I only did for 6 months or so, Other hobbies I did for 6/7 years! I usually had about 3/4 on the go at any one time. Mum always said that she didn't muind what I did as long as I had a hobby and interests - so I think I tried them all! I still have loads of hobbies to this day!
My DD, 5 does dancing, Gymnastics and ballet... but a lot of hobbies such as cubs don't start until they're seven, so I wouldn't worry - plenty of time when he gets older!
ballet, brownies,drama club, country dance club,swimming, choir & church stuff. as I got older added guides & running, dropped brownies.
once i was at high school I ramped up to guides, youth club or running club ( same night couldn't do both ) helping with Beavers, choir, church stuff, youth theatre or school play, trampolining, another choir , school librarian & local hospital friends group.
by top end of high school all the above Plus cycling long distances , stage managing the school play, YMCA youth council, crewing amateur dramatic shows and singing in yet another choir.
Somehow I found time to pass a few GCSEs and 2 A levels, would have done 3 but I got run over on a bike ride and was too busy having fun once I went back to school to put in enough work to catch up on all 3. I cycled or walked to most activities so my parents didn't do much ferrying about.
my mum has always said she wanted to give me the chance to try stuff - so I could find out what I enjoyed. she was never pushy but I can remeber my timetable quite vividly - even now 30 years later. at its peak it was monday - swimming tuesday - piano wednesday - gym and dancing (two seperate classes but at the same place - a combined dancing and gym school) thursday - Brownies friday - night off! saturday - dancing sunday - riding
piano, brownies and swimming didn;t last long. but I loved dancing and gym and did about 6 hours a week, going up to 8 or more when preparing for a show or exam. I loved riding too but it fell away - looking back I expect for financial reasons.
My sister and I attended Girls Brigade one night, played in their band another night. I had ballet (no tap or modern) on a third night. Later on she had sailing lessons mid-week but this was at secondary school age. We also had to go to Church each Sunday at one or the other Church. Plus there were frequent occasions when our band was requested to play at school fayres on Saturday as well as church Parades on Sundays. Add in personal music practice..!
Sounds a bit 'When I was at band camp' but it was fun at the time.
Boost your child’s confidence, improve their concentration and give them a creative outlet to make new friends and have fun. Try a FREE class at Perform (4-8s), Perform Plus (8-12s) or Mini Ps (3 months – 3 years). 120 venues across London and the SE. www.perform.org.uk
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- it was absolutely exhausting and how my mum got us from one activity to another as well as working as a teacher I'll never know ... 
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but it was fun at the time. 
