when do you start getting the tot into extracurricular stuff?

Erinmmo · January 2013

Our daughter just turned 27 months and she is in school 2x weekly- we did a tumbling class but its not that structured.

Wondering when is the right age to get them into things like dance, swimming, etc.

I dont want to do it too young- she is happy just running around the playground and stuff -but want to start looking into things.

thanks

zeptattoo · January 2013

Check out your local rec center. Ours offers things like swimming (Mommy and Me), etc from 6 months on. Of course, the options expand the older the kids get.

Linz-E · January 2013

We did swimming with my DD starting at 6 months and by 18 mos she was swimming alone with swimmies and "over" the class. Im hoping to get her back into when the class catches up with her ability. We started gymnastics at 20 months and she loves it. It was tough at first getting her to losten, be patient, and follow directions. But a few months in and she is getting much better.

Sonadora · January 2013

We started swim classes at 5 months old and she's been in them ever since. We have several family members who have pools/live on/near the water and I want her to be familiar with it and to instill safety precautions early on. After almost 20 months she's able to float, do a basic dog paddle for a short distance, and hoist herself out of the pool.

Twice we've done a fairly unstructured tumbling class. I don't think we'll do more than what we are currently doing until she's older and expresses an interest, though I may swap tumbling for gymnastics if I can get a slot next quarter at the rec center.

The swimming is mandatory as far as I'm concerned and I do the tumbling in the winter so she has an indoor activity in the chillier months that helps her burn off energy.

Court0026 · January 2013

At 2ish in September, she started school 2 mornings a week and gymnastics 1x a week. I want her to do swimming, but the last time we tried lessons, the pool they were available at was so cold that she cried everyday. I don't have plans for anything additional at this time unless we can fit story hour in after gymnastics.

12bailey18 · January 2013

DS just turned 3 and I'm signing him up either this Summer or in the fall for gymnastics. We do plenty socialization now so I think 3 is a good age to start 'structured' fun. That's our plan, anyway.

dande2129 · January 2013

12bailey18:
We do plenty socialization now so I think 3 is a good age to start 'structured' fun. That's our plan, anyway.

I think that's what we are going for too.

He does a tumbling class 1 day a week, and they apparently have a recital in the spring, but I doubt that DS will really know a routine or anything. Who knows, maybe he'll surprise me.

I've just kept on the look out for things that I know he likes to do, and dancing is a big one for him. I'm going to look into some dance/tap classes when he turns 3, and swimming classes that he and I can do together.

momofmanyinthemitten · January 2013

We started swimming at 5 mos and we go about once a week now, depending on how pregnancy is treating me each week. We have a music class that we go to at a friend's house every Monday and toddler time at the library every Thursday. That's all we've got going on here.

Leap08 · January 2013

Both of my girls do swimming lessons. My 3 year old started gymnastics at 2 (we're taking a break from it right now) and also does ballet and soccer through daycare. That's probably too many activities, but she asks to do them and likes them all. I like that ballet and soccer happen during her normal school day.

olechka · January 2013

We did swimming classes in the summer, don't feel like dealing with dressing in all those layers and blowdrying hair in the winter. We did gymnastics for 6 months, it was cool that she learned to listen. taking a break now and we go to open gym at gymnastics.

KateLouise · January 2013

We started swim classes at 6mths. We haven't done it every term since, but at least once a year. We wanted her to be familiar withthe water, and I also liked learning what we should be teaching her in terms of how to enter the pool, use her body in the water etc.

She's starting a dance class in a few weeks, but mostly just for fun and so that it's something me and her can go to every week to get out of the house together.

EEN09 · January 2013

We've been doing extracurricular stuff since DD was about 6 months old. Now that she's two, more options have opened up and she's participating in a dance class for 2-3 year olds as well as a tumbling class for 2-3 year olds. She is a super social child though and was participating in the "older kid" sections of some music classes that we did when she was a bit younger.

Stephanie2167 · January 2013

DD has done "gymnastics" off and on since about 18 months. Its on a Monday night and so sometime I really don't feel like going. She'll start dance when she turns 3. I can't wait for that.

EDIT: she's also done swimming but I really didn't think it was that good and she'd rather just play and swim by herself.

Angela814 · January 2013

DD2 started preschool 2 days/week at 2y2m. She also started a 30 min tumbling class once a week at the same time. We do swimming lessons at the Y also; those are parentchild classes. I mostly SAH with her. I avg 8to10 hours/week at work. She's already talking about when she gets to take soccer because her older sister plays.

I worked full time when DD1 was young, so she was in daycare full time. We started swimming lessons with her when she was 3. She didn't express any interest in dance or sports until she was 4, so we didn't add anything into our already busy schedules.

hmontty · January 2013

We did mommy and me swimming starting at 6 months. Shes now in private lessons. Shes not swimming independently yet but loves it (she also had a gross motor delay and just started walking like two months ago). Never too early to start swimming.

CarolinaDaisy · January 2013

Honestly, I wouldn't start until she is either asking or you feel like paying for it. If she's happy running around the playground and playing independently, then I wouldn't push it. It just adds another reason to rush out the door and be on someone else's schedule.

I'm all for free fun: playgrounds, playdates at our house or a friend's house, etc. My 4.5 yr old son goes to preschool 3 mornings a week, goes to play at church while I'm at bible study, and we usually have 1-2 playdates in the afternoon.

A lot of our friends started dance, gymnastics, etc. around 3. We just don't need it. He's happy to play at home with me and DS2 most afternoons or we go to a playground. Not a big rush, in my opinion!

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