Extracurricular activities?

[Stayseeliz]

What are your goals with extracurricular activities? To expose your kids to new things? Keep them fit? Enhance their education?

 

Originally I thought we'd only do things like music or scouting that were more "educational" but my kids didn't love guitar, etc and scouting takes way too much effort on my part for this stage of life.

 

My kids have drifted more toward football, gymnastics and cheerleading. I want them to be fit but I'm wondering if we're wasting time on things that won't "carry over" to later in life. But my kids LOVE football and gymnastics and cheer keeps them active and busy while brother is playing football. :)

 

Also what kind of limits do you put on their activities? Right now we'll have a writing class for my oldest Monday afternoon and art/science and gymnastics on Wednesdays. Football is 3 days a week at night but it's 5 minutes away. I honestly don't feel super busy even though they are involved in several activities.

 

It's hard to pick and choose what is right for each child and make sure all the kids are involved in something they enjoy.

 

Just thinking about our year coming up. :)

[fairfarmhand]

I just do it to give them some fun childhood experiences.

 

My dd's music lessons will probably allow her to play piano or give lessons later in life, but mostly they are just because she enjoys them.

 

Limits are whatever imposes on family time, gets too busy in the evenings or cramps our farm life has to go.

[kroe1]

What are your goals with extracurricular activities? To expose your kids to new things? Keep them fit? Enhance their education?

 

Also what kind of limits do you put on their activities?

 

It's hard to pick and choose what is right for each child and make sure all the kids are involved in something they enjoy.

 

:)

 

The goals have changed over time, but have included exercise, benefits of team sports, helping our tom boy be a girl, overcoming shyness, introduction to the arts, socialization with like-minded kiddos, learning things I cannot teach like piano.

 

We do not put limits on our kiddos because they are so far apart in age, and we have some freedoms with homeschooling. Also, we've only ever had one kiddo at home at a time.

 

:001_smile:

[Stayseeliz]

The goals have changed over time, but have included exercise, benefits of team sports, helping our tom boy be a girl, overcoming shyness, introduction to the arts, socialization with like-minded kiddos, learning things I cannot teach like piano.

 

We do not put limits on our kiddos because they are so far apart in age, and we have some freedoms with homeschooling. Also, we've only ever had one kiddo at home at a time.

 

:001_smile:

 

The challenge of kids different ages at home is hard for me. I have an 11yo boy and 8, 4 and 1yo girls. They all like different things. Gymnastics works for everybody because it's cheap and it helps DS with football. But my 4yo wants to take dance, my 8yo wants to take voice, etc. It's hard getting everybody's "wants" in.

[Dory]

My reasons vary on what we are doing. All my kids will take music in some form or another because I believe that an appreciate and understanding of music can enrich their lives. They are allowed to stop when they reach their grade 5 Royal Conservatory if they want to. My daughter is taking dance because she loves it and it is a way to keep her active and involved in something organized, the same with swimming lessons for all 3 and gymnastics for the boys. Music is the only extracurricular activity that they don't get a choice on, the rest I let them choose at the beginning of the year.

[Carrie12345]

Fun.

Even homeschooled kids are allowed to have some! :D

[Mommyof4ks]

We do them to give them experience. They have learned to work with difficult people, how to learn something new just for the fun of it, increased skills they needed to work on, and just to have fun. They may not play professional football or cheer for a professional team, but they are learning how to work together for a common goal, how to work hard to achieve a goal, and how to persevere when things get tough. Being a gracious winner or loser is important in life too.

[Alte Veste Academy]

My primary goal with extra-curriculars is for them to sample what life has to offer to the extent that they wish to do so. I do hope that the end result is that they find a passion they will enjoy as a lifelong pursuit, but whether they stick with this or that particular thing is less important to me than providing them with opportunities to sample what's out there.

 

DD is like me. She wants to try everything and does so...but then moves on to everything else. :lol: I'm kidding...sort of. She does have passions that she sticks with (art, piano) but she still wants to do everything else too. DS9, on the other hand, is not a sampler. He's interested or he's not. He wanted to play guitar and he is a guitarist. He wanted to swim and he is a swimmer. He settles into something and is content with it. I don't know about DS5 yet. We'll see...

[myfunnybunch]

Depends on the activity. :)

 

Music lessons are techinically an extracurricular, but they are a mandatory part of school.

 

They participate in karate for fitness and family time with their dad. They could choose another sport if they really wished, but for now everyone enjoys karate and it's convenient to have everyone in the same sport.

 

Everything else is just for fun and to experience new things and for the social time. They've made some good friends in their activities.

 

Cat

[bettyandbob]

goals are different for every child and every family

 

Some things like music lessons are not considered "extra". Rather, they are required in some families. We have done music lessons. I think music is important to introduce, but I never required longterm committment. Oldest took lessons for 5 years.

 

When my dc were young, we tried a lot of different extra curriculars. For my oldest multiple sports helped provide some physical therapy he needed to overcome many gross and fine motor problems he had. Scouts and science class were social outlets. Yes, science class -- he already got science at home and was well ahead of the class in understanding the material presented. I was disappointed at first when I realized he would learn nothing and then I observed and saw how well he interacted with the kids in class simply because it was a subject he enjoyed.

 

dd liked trying everything. I let her try everything. I wanted her to find a passion. Her brother was obviously passionate about academic learning in science and history. dd did her school work and did it well, but clearly it was not an interest. She eventually latched onto dance. Another interest is animals and she's pursued a variety of outlets that involve animals.

 

Some families require a service activity. Volunteering can be tool for character development and provide lessons in committment. Additionally, volunteering can introduce children to future vocations.

 

I have always required a fitness activity.

 

I feel longterm committment needs to come from the child not the parent. If the child becomes really interested in a particular activity there are many things he/she can get from it:

time management

organization

goal setting

fitness (if the activity is a sport or dance)

some activities even introduce the child to possible careers

 

Although my dc have been involved in sports, I have never believed that focus on scholarships is a reason to develop dc as athletes. Few scholarships are actually available. I believe to get to that high level of performance, the desire has to come from the child, not the parent pushing the child.