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Georgia Babies
Poll: Kids and their activities
What activities are you kids currently in? What are their ages? How long have they been doing it?
What activities have they done in the past and are not doing? Why did they stop?
How do you pick the activities they do/will do? location, cost, child's interest, your interest, friends are in it, etc?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Poll: Kids and their activities
What activities are you kids currently in? What are their ages? How long have they been doing it?
Danielle (5) is signed up for Drama classes for the first time on Saturdays. THis is our first time and she is very excited about it. That's it so far...looking into dance/gymnastics for her. We let her do at most 2 activities at a time.
Darren (2.5) is currently signed up for nothing. Trying to figure out what to do (hence this poll)
What activities have they done in the past and are not doing? Why did they stop?
Both kids, Danielle from 8mos - 4.5 years old and Darren from 2 mos to 2 years old did Music class. www.themusicclass.com We loved it. I still mgiht sign darren up for it again. I was in the same class with the same teach those 4 years and at least 1-3 of my close friends kids were also in the class. It was good for us to see each other and our kids too.
Danielle has been in Gymnastics from 2.5 - 4.5 years old. We might still do this again this season, just trying to decide if we change places. Her drama classes are on sat afternoon and gymnastics would be sat morning...likely too much for one day (not to mention it's the popular bday and holiday season coming up...just too much for saturdays)
She took ballet and ballet/tap (through daycare) from 2 y/o to 4.5 y/o. She quit this because she started going to elementary school for pre-k.
She took a ballet class (at a studio) for 3 months. I took her out because it was at 5:30 - 6:30 pm on Weds. After being at pre-k from 7:30 - 2:30, afterschool daycare from 2:30 - 5 THEN dance...it was just too long of a day for her.
She's done soccer 2 seasons (one a 3 w/ the YMCA just 5 games/practices and one w/ i9 sports at 4 for a 10 week season). She does ok once we are there, but doesn't seem to really get excited about it...that's why we stopped. Darren on the other hand LOVED going to soccer...he's just too young.
How do you pick the activities they do/will do? location, cost, child's interest, your interest, friends are in it, etc? I pick them based on all the reasons...I try mostly to do what she likes/asks about. However, i have used all the reasons to pick. My biggest deciding factor right now is that it has to be a weekend activity. That's VERY limiting.
What activities are you kids currently in? What are their ages? How long have they been doing it? Geneva takes dance that is offered through her daycare. She's 3. She started last year at 2.5 and will do it again this year.
What activities have they done in the past and are not doing? Why did they stop? N/A
How do you pick the activities they do/will do? location, cost, child's interest, your interest, friends are in it, etc? IMHO, she doesn't need to be involved in a litany of activities at this age. If she expresses an interest in something, we'll explore it, but I'm not tied to anything. As she gets older, if there isn't one around, I may start a Girl Scout troop for her. But I don't think it's necessary for her to be overwhelmed in extra-curriculars until she really has a say-so.
Right now, nothing. But we want Gavin to do soccer this fall. I need to figure out where we want to do it... thru school or locally. If anyone has any suggestions for the Acworth/Kennesaw area, please share!
The only thing he's really done so far was Aqua Tots for swim this past winter/spring. We stopped once it got warm enough that he could swim in the lake, pool, etc. I just wanted to get him used to the water before summer hit. We may do it again this winter b/c I don't want him to "forget" before next summer.
His school is pretty good about bringing in new activities for them to try and if he really enjoys it, we will either pay for him to do it there or sign up for a similar program close to home. Our issue is time. Our commute is so insane that its just too much to add any extra curriculars and at this age, I don't see the point in stressing ourselves out. There will be plenty of time for that later on.
Jack is 4.5 and Ethan is almost 3. We have done a sports class called Lil All Stars for a couple of years (Ethan only this past spring though), where they do different sports. Jack played soccer on a team through Upward this spring, and Ethan wanted to play SO bad, but he was too young.
This fall I have Ethan signed up for the sports class on the one morning a week that Jack has preschool and he does not (Jack goes 4 days/week, and Ethan goes 3 days). Jack is signed up for t-ball, and we will probably do Awana again on Wednesday evenings. I think as they get older I'll just base it on what they are interested in, and probably limit them to two activities at a time (depending on how involved each one is, cost).
What activities are you kids currently in? Soccer and gymnastics year round. During the summer Emma does a golf camp and a basketball camp.
What are their ages? Emma will be 9 in Sept, Tess will be 3 at the end of August.
How long have they been doing it? Emma started Upwards soccer when she was 3, moved to Y soccer just before she turned 4 and has been playing with a club team since she was 6. Tess just started gymnastics this summer.
What activities have they done in the past and are not doing? Emma used to take ballet Why did they stop? she took ballet and gymnastics at the same time when she was 2 and after a year of ballet decided that she liked gymnastics better.
How do you pick the activities they do/will do? location, cost, child's interest, your interest, friends are in it, etc? I tried a variety of different activites w/ Emma when she was little. Gymnastics and ballet were both offered at the daycare she went to. Once she changed daycares we picked up regular classes with the gym that used to come out to the daycare. My husband is a soccer coach so that was a no brainer. The team she plays on now is a huge, huge commitment but it works okay for us bc it is easy for DH to be involved. I will probably put Tess in ballet for the next session that it is available. I didn't know what our schedules were going to be like early enough to register her this year. Our neighbor actually teaches classes so I'll probably send her to one of those.
I personally just want to expose each of them to different activities and see which ones they have a natural draw towards and then start to focus on that.
DD just turned 3 and she has done swim lessons and ballet/tap. Swim was at Aquatots. I stopped that when we joined a gym with a pool. She seems to be getting more out of going to the pool with us consistently and it is better than trying to be somewhere at a certain time every Saturday. Ballet/Tap are offered in one class at her daycare. She did it for the last session and will start again in a couple weeks.
It's hard to fit extra things in with both parents working, but it is important to me that she try new things and find something she likes. I wasn't very involved in extra curricular stuff growing up and I feel like it is important. We are excited to try Tball or Soccer next year when she is old enough. I won't push her to stay in something if she genuinely doesn't like it though.
What activities are you kids currently in? What are their ages? How long have they been doing it?
Rowan is 2.5 and has been in music classes since she was 17 mos. and started tumbling this summer. They're both offered through her school, for extra fees of course
What activities have they done in the past and are not doing? Why did they stop?
We also did swim lessons through Dynamo over the spring but took a break over the summer. We'll probably start those again in the Fall.
How do you pick the activities they do/will do? location, cost, child's interest, your interest, friends are in it, etc?
In the Fall she's eligible for Ballet through her school, but I think I'm going to wait. She's really fascinated by ballerinas but IMO 2 is too young to understand ballet principles. We'll likely just keep her in tumbling and music for the year and then re-evaluate next summer.
In terms of choosing activities, every family is different, but for us it's a combo of time & location, cost, and a concern of over-extension.
Grant is 5 and is doing his 5th season (he does fall and spring) of TBall and will do tennis late fall. He did soccer when he was 3 (he didn't like it) and has done swim lessons every spring since he was 6mos old.
Reid is 3 (today
and hasn't done anything yet (bad Mommy) but he will do a general sports class one day a week this fall and will start tball and swim lessons in the spring.
We will let the boys try any sport/activity they want to. I am already trying to figure out how to do 2 boys in the spring (Grant will have practice 2x a week, Reid will have it 1-2X a week and they will have games...I have NO IDEA how parents with 3+ kids do it!) But we will figure it out!
As far as choosing activities I am "hoping" that they both play the same sports, but will let them try others if they want. So far they have only picked sports and we give them options and let them pic. In terms of cost that was one of the deciding factors in having a 3rd child for us (cost and time of activities). Once both boys are playing tball it will be $300 a season for them to play, and Grant is already asking to play football next fall which is easily $400 for just him to play.
DD started themusicclass at around 8 months and still goes. Her Daddy usually takes her on Saturday mornings. She has been in a ballet class since her 2nd birthday. We tried a gymnastics class but she hated it. We did swim classes at Atlanta Swim and she hated those too. Next Summer we're going to get her private swim lessons - just to make sure she is safe in the pool.
So right now she has the music class and ballet. We chose ballet because she showed a genuine interest. She would ask me to watch the ballerinas over and over when they came on the Wiggles. And it is absolutely AMAZING how much she is focused in her classes and how happy it seems to make her. She BEAMS her smile as I watch her in class through the mirror.
We'll keep trying and introducing different things and go with what she seems to like. She starts a new preschool in a few weeks, so I think just the two things she is in for now are good. When she is a little older we'll try piano lessons because she is so musical and already is showing interest.
DMoney will be a kickass big sister
This whole topic is just an issue for us. Just take a look at Emma's schedule right now.
Monday- school 8:30-3:15, soccer 5:30-6:45
Tuesday- school 8:30-3:15, gymnastics 5:30-8:00
Wednesday- school 8:30-3:15, Wednesday night church
Thursday- school 8:30-3:15, gymnastics 4:15-6:45 (which overlaps with), Soccer 5:30-6:45 (no idea how to juggle that?)
Friday- school 8:30-3:15
She has soccer games or tournaments most weekends between now and Christmas break. 75% of them require overnight Friday and Saturday travel to Columbia, Macon, Atlanta, Mt. Pleasant, etc.
She?ll have 7 gymnastics meets between October and April, all of them out of town. I think the first one is in October in Macon.
My thing is, I look at this schedule and it overwhelms ME, but it doesn?t seem to phase her. She thrives on activity and a go-go-go lifestyle. I mean, on 1 hand it?s just 2 activities. But on the other, it?s 2 competitive level activities that require a huge commitment. I just worry that it is too much for her. But she is great at both sports and enjoys them equally. They are both expensive as sh!t but we get a break with soccer bc my husband coaches (just club fees, we still pay for uniforms, tournaments, hotels rooms, etc) and the booster club at gymnastics offers payment plans and fundraisers. But when I say expensive, I?m talking like close to $10,000 for a whole year after it?s all said and done.
It just blows my mind that my not quite 9 year old is so maxed out with just 2 activities.
Yikes -- that's quite a schedule!
I look at all the stuff my students (high school) cram into their schedules and I really don't know how they have time to eat or sleep or just relax for five minutes. It concerns me, because I think it's like the old frog in the boiling water story -- turn it up all at once and the frog will jump out, but turn it up just a little at a time and the frog will just sit there until it's boiled! I don't want my family to have the stress and pressure I see in many of my students' families about activities, so DH and I are trying to ease into things and be very mindful about what we let the kids do.
Elizabeth loves ballet and William wants to do whatever she does, so I put them both in a once-a-week creative movement class at a local studio. It's less than five minutes from our house and they both enjoy it. As long as they like it, we'll continue to do it.
This really worries me too...what about when Tess (or Darren in my case) get their own set of activites!?!? WTF?!?! Perhaps you'll get "lucky" and Tess will also do/like soccer and gymnastics, but Darren's not likely to go for Drama and Hip Hop Dance (although...i guess he could) :-)
I am really worried about it too. I don't really remember elementary school so much for me. I think i took piano lessons and played soccer/tball/swimming. It's when I got into middle school that i really started to do a lot. I would've pitched a FIT if my mom limited me to 2 activities. I did everything from cheerleading, yearbook, chorus, track, president of student council, etc...Highschool was even more than that
I know that I liked the activities though so much. I'm not sure how I will handle it though as a mom. I'm freaking over 2 activities on a saturday :-)
Your school starts late...Is Em in middle school? Our elementary time is7:45 - 2:20.
I know! It stresses the crap out of me. I mean, it's just 2 activities, why on Earth is it so dang involved!?!?! As far as Tess goes, I just signed her up for Gymnastics on Thursdays from 5-5:30, which PTL coordinates with the time that Emma is at gym on Thurs. And if/when I sign her up for ballet or whatever I could do it either right after MDO during the week while Emma is at school, but then what about her naps? Hence my post from the other day about being worried that she isn't getting enough sleep. She could also do something on Monday's between 4-6 because Bryan takes Emma to soccer and I don't have to pick her up til 6:45.
I'm lucky that my parents live close by. If I'm in a bind I can drop Tess off at my parents house so she can eat/get a bath at a decent time. Or at least in theory. My parents love to be unavailable when I need them and begging for the girls when we have something planned. But that's a whole seperate post.
And no, Emma is only in 3rd grade. Middle school in Augusta goes from 9:30-4:15, how redic is that?!!? The fact that she can sleep until 7:45 in the mornings is one of the only reasons that I'm not completely flipping out that she has gymnastics til 8:00 1 night a week. We're usually home, fed, bathed by 8:30-9:00 every night. And she has time to do homework after school on the nights she has later practice. Or really she usually gets started before and finishes after.