How many extracurricular activities for each child?

[j_thurm]

I am feeling very busy and stressed with the amount of activities my kids are in. Most are in lower elementary grades. I know that how I feel matters the most but what is normal for the amount of activities you put your kids in outside of your typical school time? I would love to hear some opinions. Thanks!

[specialmama]

We try to keep it to 2 max. Awana and horsemanship. Mind you, these are, as you said, outside of school hours. This upcoming year we will be doing additional things during school hours, such as swimming for 10 weeks, then gymnastics for 9, then swimming again. One thing per week during school days, 2 outside of school hours. This is considered a very busy schedule for us, but it has shifted to a priority for us for one year, in order to meet some of dd's needs.

[OrganicAnn]

I think you have to make a decision that is best for the whole family. Also some kids like extracurriculars more than others. Time and money play into the decision too. Some extras don't take as big of a time/money commitment.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I am feeling very busy and stressed with the amount of activities my kids are in. Most are in lower elementary grades. I know that how I feel matters the most but what is normal for the amount of activities you put your kids in outside of your typical school time? I would love to hear some opinions. Thanks!

 

 

 

It would depend on what you consider extracurricular. We consider music and PE to be integral to their education. So, each kid is required to do one of each. For dd, that has been private piano lessons and dance classes. For ds, it has meant guitar lessons and karate.

 

Above that, they can do one more, if they choose. Ds did Boy Scouts for a couple of years, but dropped it a few months ago. Dd added guitar, but her lessons are at the same time as her brother's, so it's not a big deal. She also did Pathfinders (like scouts) for a couple years, but dropped that this year.

[myfunnybunch]

I voted 2: One music, one sport.

 

We don't really consider music extracurricular. It's a part of school. But it is an activity that takes us out of the house.

 

Cat

[elise1mds]

I allow two per child. This is enough for DS who happily is in swimming lessons and Cub Scouts and takes piano lessons from me at home during the school year - so piano isn't really an extracurricular but he's learning some music theory.

 

DD frets about my 'limit' because she has violin lessons and wants to take both dance and art lessons this fall and I've told her she can't do all three. I'd rather her do art (they offer Little Rembrants lessons at the school and she LOVES art), but she's gunning for dance (I think she'll give up when she realizes she has to do what the teacher says and it's exactly the same thing as everyone else). We'll see how she feels when school actually starts back up again.

[Peela]

A ttimes we have done 4 or more, but that included a Latin and a Science class.

At the moment, it is Gym and Scouts for one, and the same with piano for the other. This is the least we have ever done.

 

There are seasons. In some years we did a lot and it seemed important at the time- although I did always try to keep 3 days a week at home, and especially mornings. I knew my own limits and I prioritised schoolwork.

The extra curriculars were what my kids looked forward to and what they loved the most about homeschooling. It was an important part of our schoolweek- socially, and academically.

 

However, my kids are extroverts- it was hard on me, an introvert, but I did it for them. But now that we are home more and my kids have their social life more in evenings and on weekends, and they also organise it themselves, I find I miss the adult social interaction I had during their extra curriculars, myself. I tend to get a bit isolated and no longer feel a part of the local homeschooling community. It seems to happen for many once their kids hit mid teens and the kids have honed their activities down to the ones they really want. I tried to take my kids to a nature educaitonal activity (that appealed to me) that did reach up to their age group but they were the oldest and they realyl disliked it.

 

So....enjoy the freedom to do lots of things when they are young, but also keep your life balanced. Balanced for us happened to be lots of activities many years- without them, we would have been unbalanced and too much at home for them. For others, balanced is going to be more at home.

 

ETA I just remembered that dd16 also does watercolour art classes and has done for years- so , I guess she is still doing 4 after all.

Thats not counting the online classes she does as well.

I guess we do lots!

Edited June 29, 2010 by Peela

[dm379]

I limit it to 2 per child. They both do taekwondo year-round and then alternate through whatever else they want. Right now it's swimming lessons. Soon it'll be cheerleading for one, soccer for the other. When that season is over, it'll be winter swim team. It keeps us busy every day.

[Rosy]

One per kid at a time, and even then we haven't been all that consistent with the younger kids. DD9 is in karate. DS is in scouts (but that's only 2s/mo, and even then it seems like they get cancelled or we can't make them all, so it's even less) and sometimes swim lessons, DD6 has done swim lessons and will do gymnastics, and DD5 will do ballet.

 

However, swim lessons are something we need to go further with, and I won't drop other activities...so I guess that would be 2 per kid. But they can all swim at the same time. A lot of our activities are at the Y, so we're not running all over the place and the other kids have something to do when one is busy.

[AnitaMcC]

I voted 2 or more. Our rule is that the kids must do at least two extracurricular activities each. One sport, and one non-sport.

 

Dd15: does Kung Fu (competition and demo team), and music lessons.

 

Ds15: does Kung Fu, bowling league, and Civil Air Patrol.

 

Ds11: does Kung Fu, bowling league, was doing Cub Scouts but he didn't want to continue in Boy Scouts. He will be checking out CAP in the next few months but he can't join until he is 12 in March.

 

Ds9: does Kung Fu, bowling league, and Cub Scouts.

 

Ds11 struggles with committment and truly giving something a honest try before he says he doesn't want to do it anymore... he changes his mind every other day. I have to enforce the rule that if he says he wants to do something, I sign him up, then he has to do it until the "contract" is up. The last year of Cub Scouts he must have went back and forth from wanting to do CS and not doing CS about 6 times. He begged me for several months to join band last year in school, I let him join, he decided after three practice sessions that he didn't want to do band. Ugh!!!!!! He goes back and forth on Kung Fu and bowling too. One day he loves it and wants to do the activity... the next day he hates it and cries about not wanting to go. But when he gets there..... he LOVES IT!!!! This kid drives me insane :willy_nilly::willy_nilly::willy_nilly::willy_nilly:

Edited June 29, 2010 by AnitaMcC

[keptwoman]

I can't give a number, what happened for us was that I was sitting spreadsheeting our kids activities, working out how I was going to get them all to their different things when it suddenly struck me how absolutely ridiculous that was. So we cut back.

Right now C has sailing in summer and scouts year around. We will likely add either music or drama to the mix for him.

J has sailing and scouts both year around, but is making noises about hockey next winter.

M has soccer only, but I'm going to add something else for her, possibly cubs or gymnastics. She will also be sailing this coming summer.

The boys had music, and I would have kept that up but money was tight and I really regret dropping it because now both boys want to change instruments and I'm sure that wouldn't have happened if we had kept it up :(

[Carrie12345]

Other: A big part depends on how many kids are in the family!

 

My ds could easily handle 4 extra-curriculars at a time. But if I allowed all of the kids to do that, I would be exhausted and broke! 16 activities, even on a 1hr/wk basis, would kill me. And then when you consider that things like baseball and soccer can go up to 5 days/week... no thank you!

 

My official limit is 2, but we haven't maxed out as of yet. Other than homeschool group, we kept everything else blank during regular baseball season. And, until recently, my girls were happy to participate in the same activities together, which was great. Now they're declaring their independence, lol.

 

This fall will be soccer, gymnastics, fall baseball, and mulitple music lessons. Plus hs group. In my 3rd trimester. Wish me luck!

[Mommee & Baba]

I'd allow 2 per child.

 

Right now my dd's are only involved in Daisy/Brownie Scouts. Considering Swimming lessons next year.

[michmom]

I think it has to depend on each family and how much of a toll it takes on the family vs how much benefit is derived. I have two boys who both play hockey which has an extremely long season - starts in August and ends in April with many events each week and lots of driving - so that is a big activity for us. They also both are black belts in karate but have stopped lessons now as it was too much with the hockey. They are also both in Scouts but at least this meets at the same time for both. One has guitar lessons. They have done other sports over time but, for now, this is enough for our family.

 

Lynn

[AHASRADA]

I voted 3+. My kids have homeschool Swim & Gym, karate and soccer, that are non-negotiable. They are a regular, and constant, part of our schedule.

 

I doubt I would add another full-time activity, unless it were a language class. However, I am always open to short-term or one-time activities, outings, etc.

 

I do not have a specific limit on activities. We make decisions based on the value/benefit of the activity, as well as the cost.

[Country Mouse]

I think two is good. Ds does piano and Cub Scouts. He also does 4-H Lego Club, but that is only a once a month deal.

 

But, if you have a lot of kids, maybe cut it down to one activity per kid.

[IsabelC]

DS7 does trampsports, swimming and piano

DD5 does gymnastics and swimming

DD1 doesn't do anything formal as yet

We have tentatively limited them to 3 activities each, however we'd reconsider later if they can make a really convincing case (eg work to fund activities themselves)

[Dmmetler]

What do you consider "extra-curricular"?

 

For the fall, our plans are:

 

1) Homeschool art class 1x week

2) Kindermusik for the Young Child year 2 (to supplement piano lessons at home)

3) Ballet and maybe another dance or movement class. I think there's a homeschool gymnastics class at one of the local programs.

 

 

I tend to consider these equivalent as music, art, and PE if she were in ps, and therefore don't consider them "extracurricular" so much as "curricular areas I choose to have someone else teach". I also consider swim lessons this summer in that category, because while it's not a required part of school curricula to know how to swim, it IS a required part of MY curricula.

[NanceXToo]

It varies.

 

My daughter (age 9) goes to Girl Scouts over the school year, once a week, 5 minutes from home.

 

She goes to 4H Wildnerness Club which is once or twice a month but we're kind of sporadic about when we show up as it's a little further away for us.

 

She did a homeschool bowling league but it was only for like 10 weeks or something like that, over the winter/spring (my younger son did it too).

 

She sometimes went to Lowe's Build & Grow clinics, but my husband would be the one to take her to those, usually maybe once a month or so on average.

 

Now that it's summer, there's no more Girl Scouts. We decided to wait til fall to go back to 4H. Bowling league is over. So she has no activities she goes to on a very regular basis, but she will be going to a two week art camp (as will my son), she will be taking swimming lessons (two weeks) (as will my son), she will be going to a free reading program at the library, when I feel like going, as will my son.

 

So it seems like a lot but they're not all every week and they're not all at the same time.

 

You don't need to stress yourself out- pick one or two with your child and see how it goes!

[JenC3]

We have decided:

 

Music/Art/Drama-piano is the choice right now and I would refer they all learn it before moving onto another instrument. If one of our dc shows a desire to pursue art or drama then they can switch at one point.

 

Physical- right now dd does dance and ds will be starting soccer this year.

 

They will be doing some swimming lessons concurrently, but that is not forever.

[snickelfritz]

I put how many activities they do, but I'm not sure that they count "outside of school time."

 

They do several physical activities, which we would limit if they were in school with regular PE.

 

If they were in school getting music (which our public district and most of the private schools do) we would have waited on violin.

[Tutor]

I limit it to 2 per child. They both do taekwondo year-round and then alternate through whatever else they want. Right now it's swimming lessons. Soon it'll be cheerleading for one, soccer for the other. When that season is over, it'll be winter swim team. It keeps us busy every day.

 

 

Ditto for us.

[Kathleen in VA]

Right now - none. It's amazing how simple and easy your life becomes when you have no transportation.:) No one expects anything of you. I'm starting to wonder if not having a reliable vehicle is actually a blessing in disguise. We are getting tons more school done than ever before and I'm saving huge amounts of money on gas and all those quick stops at McD's for something off the dollar menu (those dollars add up!!)

[Jan in SC]

For the fall:

 

All:

Classical conversation (1x week, 3 hours)

homeschool gymnastics (1x week, 1 hour)

 

DS10- guitar (1x week, 30 minutes)

tennis (2x week, 1 hour)

theatre (1x week, 2 hours) (2 weeks of everyday rehearsal)

 

DS 8- (almost 9)

- guitar (1x week, 30 minutes)

-pitching lessons (1x week, 1 hour)

-baseball 4-10 hours per week (depends on schedule)

-might play soccer or lacrosse

-he will play flag football in the winter

 

DS 7- (will be 8)

-piano (1x week, 30 minutes)

-swimming (2x week, 1 hour)

-theatre (1x week, 2 hours) (2 weeks of everyday rehearsal)

 

Typing it out makes me tired, so we might have to change something!

[AngieW in Texas]

My 17yo has no ECs. I would love for her to still be in Anime Club and still do kickboxing or go to the gym with me, but she has no interest.

 

My 14yo does tumbling 1x/week during the schoolyear and volunteers at the animal shelter with me 1x/week.

 

My 12yo takes guitar and volunteers at the animal shelter with me 1x/week. She also wants to take a sewing class this summer to learn how to make clothes (not something I can teach her). She goes to the gym with me 2x/week.

[sassenach]

Two max, but most of the time 1.

[Mabelen]

I voted only 1 but then I realized that they actually have 2. I guess I was thinking of weekly activities.

 

My 13 yo does piano weekly but she is also in Girl Scouts, which is not a weekly commitment. She gets daily P.E at school, otherwise she would be doing some fitness activity. My 6 yo does ballet weekly and is also in Girl Scouts.

 

Both are continuing those during the summer with twice a week swimming added to the mix. My 13 yo will start teaching piano to the 6 yo tomorrow too!