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Upstate NY Babies
TinyPinkBug
member
How many activities will/do your kids do?
TinyPinkBug
member
Right now, Tyler does Karate twice a week, has a social worker at home once a week for an hour and goes to school 5 days a week. Brianna just goes to school 2 days a week. It actually seems like a lot when I am carting them around and scheduling, etc. Like there isn't a ton of at home time.
When I was sitting there during karate, the moms in front of me were talking, this one little girl who is 5 and in full day kindergarden, she does karate 2x/wk, dance 2x/wk, music class and swimming. First, I don't know how she affords it all, karate is $125/month, but the amount of time running around and lack of just free play seems like a lot for a 5 yr old. My nephew is 11 and is a swimmer, they train 6 days a week. My sister had to hire him a driver because the practices didn't match up with her work schedule. I couldn't imagine trying to do multiple activities like that.
So, how many activities are too many? Where do you weigh in?
I would like to put Bri in dance or gymnastics but feel like we already lose a lot of family time with our current schedule. When I was in middle school and high school I did multiple school activities and had jobs and I was NEVER home, it wasn't a big deal though because I didn't like being home with my mother and the activities I did were free. But I want my kids home more, I want family dinners and game nights. But I also want them well-rounded and not shut ins (DH's family were like shut-ins). I need to find that middle ground.
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Re: How many activities will/do your kids do?
Right now Eve does:
Preschool 2x a week
Swimming Lessons 1x a week
Music Class 1x a week.
When she is 3, we have told her she can take dance class and 1 sport as well. We are going to start her with an 8 week session at the Y to see how she does with those. I am hoping we can do at least one of those at a time we're already there or both at the same time. I THINK that if she goes to the same school next year she will either go 4 or 5 days a week.. so thats a LOT.. I have to think about that.
Natalie just did story time once a week, but we're not gonna do it again because of DH's new work schedule. She will start swimming lessons on 1/2.
m/c 1/2/08 and 3/12/08
Eve Amelia- Born 2/24/09. 6lb 9.9oz
Natalie Ruth - Born 6/13/11 7lb 6.6oz
Belle is in two and is in gymnastics one day a week. It's only 45 minutes on a Saturday morning. Right now it's mommy and me so I am with her but she loves it. We did swimming in the fall which was one night a week and plan on doing it again in February. It's only for 9 weeks. Not next year but the following year I will put her into dance as well. She is also in day care 5 days a week. We have a ton of free play time at home.
My mom kept us busy when we were kids but we also had a good balance at home too. When I was a kid I did dance, and girl scounts, and horse back riding. But we still had movie nights and family game nights. And I remember always sitting down as a family to eat dinner. When I was a teenage I was at dance 4 nights a week but I never felt like I didn't have a good amount of family time.
Right now Charlie is in school 5 days a week (half day, will be full day kindergarten next year) and he just started hockey which is once or twice a week, depending on the schedule. He plays soccer in the spring/summer and that also averages out to about once a week.
Paul isn't in anything yet, but I think I'm going to do a dance/movement class with him starting in January depending on how I feel!
Charlie 11.01.07 ~ Paul 05.07.10 ~ Annaliese 02.24.12
I want my kids to be busy.
Right now Justin is in Pre-K 2 days a week and plays hockey on Wednesdays. He'll play soccer in the spring and possibly baseball in the summer.
In the perfect world in my head... Justin will play hockey and soccer. Maybe he'll play an instrument, something cool like the guitar or the drums. B will play football and Nat will cheer for the team- so I can cut my running in half. She'll take dance and piano. B can also play lacrosse- haha! I love little kid chorus concerts so I hope at least 1 of them wants to sing!
Wow, I feel bad that my kids aren't in any sort of activity right now.
We did a 10 week swimming lesson session with Stella last February/March. I want to look into a toddler tumbling class or something like that and we'll most likely sign both girls up for swim when Audrey is 6 months. Water safety and not being afraid of the water is important to us. I bowled as a kid, DH started bowling as an adult and my 6yo niece bowls now so I'd like to get Stella started in that when she's 3.
DH & I will encourage our girls to have at least 1 activity per season. We feel that kids who are involved in something tend to be better students
Ellie does gymnastics every Thursday for an hour. That is my only consistent day off, otherwise I would have her in something else too. I work 2 out of 3 fridays, but my mom watches her those days and was taking her to a music class, but that ended. Oh, she also goes to sunday school at church for an hour each sunday.
In the summer, both my mom and I took her to seabreeze any day off of work we had. It isn't structured, but we will do that again this year and have no time for activities. I am hoping that once she turns 3 this fall, we will get her in to a preschool thing - once dh can handle leaving the house with both in tow haha. It would be great for her to do a m,t,w or a m,w mornings thing.
We have done music class and storytime, but right now we are not in anything structured. I think that one activity per season is what we are going to stick to, or one sport and one art, depending on their interest. I think downtime/family time is important, so I do not want them to be super busy, but I definitely want them out and about and getting a bunch of different experiences. We did decide not to start preschool with Evan until at least next year. I just felt that part of the reason why I wanted to work part-time was to be home with them, so I wanted to hold off. He gets a lot of socialization through church and playdates. But the separation anxiety is still an issue. We joined the Y and we will probably join a parent/child class the next session.
We try to get out at least once a day, but it has been so hard lately, as their naps overlap a little, but it seems like someone is napping a good part of the morning and most of the afternoon.