Extra-curricular Activities? About This Page:

[Chrissi]

What activities do your kids participate in? (And how many do you think is too many? [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img])

My DS, DJ, takes Isshinryu karate classes (little dragons class [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]). He and I do yoga together at home and scouting activities through Spiral Scouts with other PA groups and he begins homeschooling this summer.

Now my DH wants to sign him up for t-ball this spring! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

I'm sure baseball is a little boys' right of passage and all, but doesn't he have enough interests and hobbies to keep him occupied and learning something new everyday? [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] For pete's sake! He's only 3 1/2!

Karate and scouts seems like plenty for his age. Yoga is something that I do by myself and he's picked it up because it's fun. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] I just don't see why it has to be an organized activity like t-ball. What's wrong with playing wiffle ball in the backyard just for fun? [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[krisk11]

My dd has played ice hockey since she was 4. She now plays on a travel team and this year alone we will visit Canada, Lake Placid NY, Marlboro MA and Portland ME and she is only 10 (will turn 11 in June prior to the Portland ME trip). She has loved ice hockey since birth and it is her main activity and I think she would give up food before hockey. She has also played soccer and softball too but they just filled time around Ice Hockey. She loves athletics and since she is a distinquished honor roll student I let her do what she loves. In our area I don't think there are any t-ball teams before your 4 exept at the YMCA. Maybe you can push your husband off a year if you think DJ isn't ready.

[guarn3md]

DS Connor is 4 1/2 and attends pre-k every day from 8 - 3. He is involved in gymnastics, Monday nights, and soccer. He has been in gymnastics since he was 17 months old. I would like to put him in swimming lessons but I think his schedule is full enough. When I was not working and he went to preschool 2 afternoons a week I had him in art classes also. He just started soccer this past fall but he asked to play. He is playing spring soccer but again he asked to play. 3 1/2 is young for a team sport. I was worried about Connor participating in soccer, but he did fine. He never really got into the mix of kids, kind of ran the perimeter of the game. But atleast he got out there - there were some kids on his team who would not go out on the field during a game, only participated during practice.
I think you have to make the decision based on your child and the commitment you want to make to another activity. This has been a transition year for us - my first year back at work since Connor was born and Connor going to school every day. I also have graduate classes once a week and my DH is in the middle of getting his MBA....
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]
Good Luck with your decision! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
Debbie

[HiddenMickey]

I didn't start either of my kids into extracurricular stuff until after they were in kindergarten. I just didn't see the point or the expense when they were younger.

[graygables]

We homeschool, so my DDs take piano and a phys ed (their choice). 7yo takes dance, 9yo takes ice skating (the ice rink has a homeschool program). They have a church activity on Wed evenings and that's pretty much it. I used to have them in art classes, but that was too much. When they were in art, we were "out and about" 4 days a week. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502no_prv.gif[/img] not good for schoolwork!

[mom2my4dwarfs]

Here the kids can not start t-ball unless they are 5 by the end of April. My boys played last year and they had a great time. They are already signed up to play this year.

[goofy4goofy]

Alex is 4 and a half and he only goes to preschool 5 days a week. The Tumble Bus does go to his school, and he participates in that and he takes Compuchild classes at school as well. But other than that, no other activities. We spend too much time at the parks to really do much else. When he's in school, as long as his grades are ok, I'll let him do 1 or 2 activities besides school. He seems to lean towards swimming and baseball these days. I guess we'll see...

I'd love for him to take up surfing!

Kelly

[Belle*]

Ryan does a TLC (The Learning Circle) Playgroup on Monday mornings. It is a parent-child playgroup with structured activites (crafts, etc) and circle time with a teacher. He also takes a Gymboree class on Fridays which is also parent-child. I think this is plenty for him for now seeing as he's just 22 months. I want to hold off on team sports until he is 5 but we will have to see.

My concern is Ryan is very bright (not bragging - I had nothing to do with it after all! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]) but I think it is important that he have some structure and instruction in his week besides just me. He has a huge vocabulary in both English and American Sign Language, can count to 10 and identify many letters of the alphabet unprompted. (He ran up to his grandmother yesterday with his ABC magnets and started identifying letters. She almost had a heart attack! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img]) I worry about keeping him stimulated without putting too much pressure on the kid! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img] I'm very torn! I'l be readint his thread with a lot of interest. Thanks for asking Chrissi!! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thanx.gif[/img]

[Luv4My4]

My middle two girls have both been dancing since they were 3 (and Molly will start next year) and both Katie & Shannon started playing t-ball at age 3 (Molly will start this next year as well) The t-ball games are much more fun oriented than anything else. There is no pressure, every kid bats they all run the bases, the kids have a ball and they both loved the idea of wearing a uniform, getting a trophy etc. Katie will move up to pitching machine baseball this year which is a little more organized and more appropriate for a 5yo and Shannon (age 7) will move to very organized girls' softball. Shannon & Katie also both started playing basketball at age 5. Again the early basketball (age 5-6) is very laid back and fun with just a little emphasis on the fundamentals. Shannon's team (age 7-8) is much more organized with alot of emphasis on the fundamentals. I love that they are active in sports, I think it is good for them both physically and socially. It can get really busy at times with school plus both dance and sports but since the sports they play are in different seasons it is doable. My oldest DD didn't start playing sports until she was about 8 or 9 because the neighborhood we lived in before didn't have sports available for younger children. She didn't start playing until we moved to neighborhood where we live now. I noticed that she was at a disadvantage (particularly in basketball) because she was competing with kids who had started at a much younger age and already knew how to play the game. She never really caught up although she did play through 8th grade. I don't think there is anything wrong with organized sports at a young age as long there is no pressure put on the kids to be the best, etc. It's really just all in fun at that age (and honestly the days I spent watching my kids play t-ball when they were 3 and 4 were some of funniest I ever spent, you haven't lived until you've seen 10 three year olds all charge the ball everytime it is hit, it's hysterical!!) Hope this helps with your decision Chrissi, feel free to PM me if you have any more questions!!

[katspjs]

I don't have Tyler in any extra-curricular activities during the school year. He has Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (an offshoot of Aspbergers) and his gross motor skills aren't the greatest and he's a bit on the small side. It frustrates him that he can't keep up with the other kids, so it's easier on all of us to not do anything. He gets lots of exercise at school - 2 recesses and gym and then he runs about with his sister. I did try indoor swimming, but with all the classes going and the echoing, it's just too loud for him and he gets overstimulated. Since I'm not working, for the past three summers I have signed him up for outdoor swim classes and he's done great. When he was little we did do the gymboree classes so he could burn up some energy and be with other kids.

With Caroline, we were doing gymboree up until last spring. I actually just signed her up for another class today. We used to do mommy and me swim, but I hate going in the winter - with the boots and coats, etc. I just started up at a gym and they have babysitting so she goes there and plays with the other kids. She'll be going to Jr. Kidnergarten in the fall.

[Colexis Mom]

I didn't start Alexa with extra curricular activites until Kindergarten. Working full time, there's just no way I could do it! In Kindergarten, we started youth soccer and she participated in Daisies. I offered T-ball but she didn't want to play. And she took swimming lessons during the summer, while I swam with Colin (parent/child class).

The same has held true for 1st grade........soccer and Brownies. She wants to do gymnastics and other things, but I don't have the time. We'll probably start swimming lessons in April this year, a little earlier!

[debsta922]

My stepson is in band at school and just finished up a skiing program. He's not the best student so we don't want him involved with too many things during the school year. He's allowed 1 activity (his choice) during the school week. He's just expressed some interest in a theater group, so we are going to check it out for him.
Nick and I just signed up for swimming classes at the YMCA... and next fall we'll begin ice skating/hockey Lessons. I'm hoping he'll be old enough for t-ball in 2007. Dh and I both played in youth baseball leaques and I think its wonderful for kids.

[RobDVC]

DS's played t-ball and intramural soccer when they were 4.

DS6 current activities:
intramural soccer (Sat AM Jan-Mar; Sun AM Sep-Nov)
Intramural basketball (630-730pm one night a week Nov-Mar)
coach-pitch baseball (Sat AM Apr-Jun)

DS9 current activities:
Travel team soccer (outdoor - Sat AM Sep-Nov; Indoor Sat PM Jan-Mar)
intramural basketball (730-830pm one night a week Nov-Mar)
Junior League baseball (two nights a week APR-JUN)

[LBAK]

My oldest DD, now 19 danced since she was 3. She did ballet, tap and ballroom competition. She also played soccer.

Youngest DD, 10, is my athlete. She loves all sports but we have narrowed down to:
Travel soccer (year round, between seasons, camp and trainers)
Basketball- 3 leagues (1 rec league, 1 travel, 1 summer league)
Lacrosse- spring, winter indoor, and summer camp
She is a straight A student and she is a child that loves to be scheduled. My oldest needed lots of down time.

[clio]

DD's older than most of your kids (she's 26) but when she was younger she was in Girl Scouts and iceskating with the winter and softball in the spring and summer. She also took swimming at an outdoor pool in the summer. In high school she was in marching band and that took up most of her time because it was a competition band. I didn't want her to be in too many activities and not have time to be a kid and just play and have fun.
Liz