Extracurricular classes?

honeybee111 · February 2013

How many extracurricular classes do you have your child in? DD attends a Montessori preschool full time + 1.5 hours of aftercare because DH and I both work. Her school offers a ton of extracurricular classes during aftercare hours. It's about $40-50 per month per class and each class is once a week. If aftercare students are not in the classes, they have outside play time, then inside for a story, and play time centers with blocks, coloring, etc. I usually pick DD up when she's either ending the story or just starting centers. We signed DD up for Mandarin class(DH and ILs are bilingual, so it's important to us that DD gets some formal language practice), but since she's only 3, we decided to hold off on the other classes for now. For the past 2 weeks, her teacher told me that DD was showing interest in the PE sports class, and would I like to enroll DD? DH and I talked about it, and how important is sports class at this age? It's not like DD isn't getting enough physical activity, so we're not worried about that. However, if she's interested in it, I suppose we could enroll her, but we don't want to overwhelm her with too many extra classes. I do think it's important for her to have free play time with her classmates, too. We will also be starting swimming classes in a few months, so there's that, too.

74dragonfly · February 2013

We did two. Our DD really wanted to do this one play ball class because her friends did it. She loved it. I think it is good to let them try things they want. Then she asked to do soccer and we said she had to pick soccer or dance. She picked soccer so we dropped dance.

sunnydays99 · February 2013

DS only goes to preschool 2 days per week in the mornings. Right now he's also in gymnastics and swimming lessons. I'm planning on putting him in soccer in the spring (when gymnastics and swimming are done).

Personally, I don't want to overwhelm my DS with activities but I'm a sahm so I like to have some scheduled things going on. I've also liked the structure these activities provide and that he's learning to listen to other adults.

knottie99d9550b0a0a31af · February 2013

I nanny for a 4 year old boy and throughout the week we have any combination of gymnastics, sports skills, swimming, two different science classes, nature class, storytime at the library, and cooking classes, plus an athome preschool curriculum with me.

njbride0603 · February 2013

My 4 yr DD has a cooking class weekly in her pre-k class and we are signing her up for a dance class. In the fall we will probably look for her to play an outdoor sport softball or soccer. If she would like to continue with the dance she can do that as well.

Leap08 · February 2013

My daughter does 2 extracurricular classes at school (ballet & soccer). They are both once a week and they cost about $50 a month total. If each were $50 a month, we'd probably drop one of them. She also does swim lessons once a week. I think swimming is an essential life skill, so that one is non-negotiable. The other activities she genuinely seems to enjoy. She was able to try both of them for 2 weeks before we were required to enroll, and that helped us a lot with our decision. I also don't want to overwhelm her with too many activities, but I do want to encourage her interests. Right now, she's interested in both of them. She still gets plenty of play time throughout the day.

bethelon · February 2013

My daughter is in PreK full-time, so she's allowed 1 after school extracurricular at a time. Right now she's doing dance (although she really wanted gymnastics, but the class we needed was full). This summer we'll give her the option of a 6 week gymnastics program or another sport if she wants. We really like our Parks & Rec program here because they have plenty of 4-6 week programs to let the children try without a full year commitment, and they are fun and relatively inexpensive. Then she can try different things and find which she really wants to stick with.

jlw2505 · February 2013

Trying to think back to age 3 for my girls. Both were in daycare full time and that was in the centers preschool program. They were there from around 7am until 4 something 5 days a week. We started swim class 1x a week for 30 mins at that age and that was one evening a week. My older DD did a soccer class that was 7 week sessions about 4 times a year during the day at that age (they took the kids to a different classroom at the center and it was during an open play time or outside time for the class). At some point she did a year of Spanish but not at the same time as she was doing the soccer class. My younger DD did the Spanish class for 2 years and then she seemed to get bored (the class was pretty basic and she was past what they were teaching) starting at age 2 1/2 and then she did a dance class. At some point she also did the soccer class but that might have been when she was 2. All of these classes met once a week at most for 30 mins and she only ever did 1 class at a time. Outside of what they did at preschool, the girls were in swim class for 30 mins a week once a week starting at age 3. We also did at different times a gymnastic class, a soccer class and a dance class so at most they had swim class one evening a week and the other class was on Sat and the extra class during school time.

stever · February 2013

DS's school doesn't have extracurricular classes, but he has soccer on the weekends, I plan to enroll him in art classes and I'd sign him up for a foreign language if I could find some offered closer.

jalaiaa · February 2013

I'm the odd one out here because my boys aren't in anything. They just turned 3 and we started them in a Montessori school that is 5 days a week and I feel like I barely see them as it is

So their extracurriculars are helping daddy in the shop and playing outside. I have absolutely no opposition to extracurricular activities and we'll probably do them in the future but right now I can't imagine adding something else to our week since this whole going to school thing is still so new. I feel like they get so much structure at school I kind of just want them to have some kid time.

Lulobug22 · February 2013

Both of my boys only go to preschool two days a week. Ds1 is 4 and a half. He plays soccer in the fall and spring since age 3. He does swim lessons in the summer and we will also be starting art lessons once a week soon. He has taken music classes in the past. Ds2 is 2.5 and doesn't have any outside classes yet except for swim lessons in the summer. I stay at home and we stay pretty busy so I don't want to be tied down to too many extracurricular activities at such a young age.

rsd12 · February 2013

I am home with the kids. One of my boys is in school full days and plays a sport each season... usually soccer. My middle son will start a sport this spring, he is 5 and starting kindergarten in the fall. I did sign up both my middle son and youngest up for a fun sport class in the fall and my youngest is still in the fun sports class. I personally am not a fan of an over scheduled child. I want my kids to just play at home and outside.

KL777 · February 2013

DS (5 yrs old) does Spanish twice a week during the school year in the after school care program and takes swimming lessons at the Y from June to October.

LoveEeyore · February 2013

DD#1 (5) is in pre-k 4 mornings. She has tae kwon do 2 afternoons a week, swim once a week. For the foreseeable forever future.

DD#2 (3.5) Is in PreK 3 mornings. She does swim only.

DS (3.5) is in preK 3 mornings. He does nothing else. He is very clingy and not ready. He was in early intervention for 1.5 years and had speech twice a week, OT once a week and PT once a week twice a month. It was too much. He promises he'll try swim when he's 100.

MKDee · February 2013

We do 1 per kid per season here. Both boys are in part-time daycare (DS1 goes to preschool "class" at daycare three days per week- they do blended-age activities for all of the kids, but the 2, 3 and 4 year olds do structured class three days per week). Both boys did swimming in the fall. Now my older one is taking ice skating on Fridays and the little one is in Gymboree on Saturdays. We haven't decided on summer activities yet, but we'll probably pick something different. With our work schedules, we really try to limit "extras" to 1-2 days per week at this age. Honestly, I don't think I did any activities until I was in kindergarten, so i don't feel a ton of pressure to schedule my almost 2 and 3.5 yr olds in too many activities.

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