how do you decide on extracurriculars?

[fdrinca]

Homeschoolers: do you decide on extracurriculars for your children? I have four little ones (6, 5, 3, and 5 months). They're not extroverted, but they do really enjoy any and all extracurricular we've tried. I suspect it's their personality to just like "doing" things. 

 

So, if they're joiners and easy to please, what do we pick? 

 

[swellmomma]

I go based on child's interests, costs, and then scheduling generally.  Though there has been times when I simply decided they were going to try something new, and they enjoyed it.  Usually it's when I come across an opportunity for them, like when I found out we qualified for free fine arts program in the city, they took private music, art and drama lessons twice a week.  That was the extent of their extra currics at that time.  One year dd14 asked to do cheerleading and I could afford the cost and time for it so she did.  Last year I told my teens they must try cadets for 1 year because it was free and I wanted them to have the structure, turns out they love it, and they do lots of extras with it.  Last year the kids chose dance, they liked it but I decided this year the cost and schedule was just too much.  All 4 of my kids are in different things, some activities carry on year after year others they try just for a season.  If they express interest in a particular activity I try really hard to find a workable solution to make it happen, some things are not possible, dd can not return to cheerleading, the closest team is 2 hours away, nor can she do riding lessons through the year though I have sent her twice now to horsemanship camps.  The kids can't do rock climbing regularily anymore either because the gym is 2 hours away, so that sort of thing plays into it.  The youngers both really wanted to join a drama troupe but the time commitment did not work with my schedule so instead they will do the 1 week missoula theatre in the spring etc. 

When my kids were as young as your kids we did swimming lessons and mom/tot play groups only.  By the time I had the youngest, my oldest was 9 so she actually started in gymnastics at 8 weeks old in a mommy and baby class that was more about sensory play and movement than gymnastics.  When they were preschoolers and under we did story time at the library and the rhymes that bind (it was a group where we met weekly and learned poems, finger plays, songs etc together to do with our little ones).  At 3 my younger 2 started in soccer.  My older 2 started in baseball at age 5.  I opted for those as starting points like the swimming lessons because it was a short season, typically 8 weeks and then done.  Over the years they have tried all sorts of things.  I think it is more important to let them experiement and try all sorts of extras rather than focus only on one.  I believe that these are the years to let them broaden their horizons and see what they even enjoy.  So they have done scouting/guiding, swim team/swimming lessons, skating lessons, gymnastics, rock climbing, cheerleading, dance, cadets, fine arts, church group, drama, archery, shooting(right now part of cadets but the teens will be joining the gun club once it reopens), piano, violin, choir, soccer, softball, sewing lessons, cooking club etc.  DD14 is the social butterfly that feels the need to try everything, the boys are more selective, dd6 wants to try a lot but not quite as much as dd14.

 

Before high school especially I am a solid believer that extra currics are not so extra meaning, as much time and thought I put into what to teach them, what to feed them, what bedtimes they will have etc to grow to be intelligent, healthy adults, I need to put as much thought and effort into choosing their extra currics as those things guide them to be a more well rounded person.  Once in high school I think it is time to start streamlining and specializing and allowing more focus on academics.

 

That is probably way more than you were looking for in an answer, but I think it is what guided me in the choices I made as far as what the kids participated in.  If I didn't feel so strongly for extra currics and perhaps felt they were less important I likely would not have had my kids in so many things over the years so I would have had to be pickier etc.

[Donna]

When mine were little, I went by their interests, money/time resource limitations, and what they might get out of an activity. We chose one or more physical (depending on the season and the child's interest) and one music activity initially. I wanted them to learn a musical instrument as part of their schooling and allowed them to chose which they were interested in. For their physical activity, I let their interest guide as well.

 

The boys (and I) were really into taikwondo for a number of years and worked through to black belts and my oldest loved wrestling. My younger ds tried wrestling awhile and decided he'd rather not. He later decided to try football and found he liked it more. My youngest took off with music at a very young age and all her activities revolve around it now with performances, lessons, practice, and orchestra...it is not so much an "extra." When she was little she tried dance, taekwondo and gymnastics. When they were little we did "play dates" with different families and library days. I only homeschool my youngest now and we get together with another family once a week to do biology.

[Crimson Wife]

If it works with our schedule and budget, then I look at whether it covers a subject that never seems to get done at home (art & music are the biggies) and also how well it fits into long-term goals. Academic activities (especially STEM ones) get priority over sports and social ones. When the Science Olympiad team meetings conflicted with the teen center cooking class DD wanted to take, SO won out. I'm sure the cooking class would be fun, but it's not going to help get her into private high school if we wind up going that route.

[Ellie]

Time outside the house involved, money involved, child's interests.

 

In general, I'm not going to do anything that would take me outside the home every day of the week, especially not before, oh, 3 in the afternoon. That precludes most classes/activities that are designed specifically for homeschooled children. We *need* time at home. Regardless of how educational something is, too much time during the day away from home means household things don't get done, and that the academic things we want to accomplish...don't get accomplished in a reasonable, unfrantic way, KWIM?  For us, it was staying home (or at least, staying together, as we went to the library weekly and did a field trip weekly, but those were regularly scheduled, on my own time, not dependent on others. Makes a difference.), having a routine, and having one day every week for doing major housecleaning and laundry. :-)

 

Money...well, of course. And child's interests.

 

I didn't do outside activities specifically so that my children could socialize.

[G5052]

Time and money were our limitations for many years.  When mine were small (under 8), we did field trips with local groups and a volunteer-run co-op where they got some enrichment classes.  Later on we did an academic co-op because it enhanced our studies and kept us going through a long period where there were difficult things going on outside of school.  

 

We added piano and martial arts at age 8, which is later by some standards, but it worked for us.  Mine continued with those into high school.  We chose those activities because you can do them into adulthood, and we consider them to be life skills.

 

I could never do more than that.  I would have loved to been able to do scouts or Civil Air Patrol as they got older, but it just wasn't reasonable. 

 

 

[chiguirre]

Brandy wrote a great post that I agree with totally. We'll give anything a whirl if it fits in our schedule and I think it's reasonable value for the money. Oddly, I've found lots of free and really low cost activities that the kids love and I think are a great learning experience. Homeschool moms offer lots of cool things! Scouts do a lot of interesting things and aren't very expensive (and give kids the chance to earn the money themselves with fundraising). But, there are joiners and there are stay-at-home moms and families and if you don't enjoy being out a lot, take that into account.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Kind of a nature/nurture question.

 

DW is a band director.  We met in drum corps.  DD has been hanging around mom's rehearsals since birth (prenatally if you count that one xmas concert).  On the one hand, DD is very musical; on the other, she's been around it her entire life.  DNA or environment?  I say both.

 

Therefore, that DD's big activities are dance and music is a result of her interests, but certainly guided by her parents' interests.  Had her life so far been surrounded by, say, hockey, would that have a stronger appeal?  Perhaps.  Girl Scouts didn't come from that, but was a let's-try-it thing.  When the troop wasn't doing enough to DD's liking, we went independent and it's fabulous.  That's the other thing -- activities can be sometimes adapted rather than abandoned.

 

Parental interest in a particular activity has to be counted, and balanced.  No one wants a pushy stage parent, but I had parents who didn't particularly care about my activities, and that really sucked too.  I'd say it's fine to steer, to suggest, to encourage as long as you continually watch for signals that you might be going to far, which is possible in any activity.

[Miss Tick]

We did/do swimming for a few years until everyone is competent. I also signed up for gymnastics at a young age to work on motor skills, showing the teacher you are listening, and standing in line skills. Then they can choose their own thing or two, often with encouragement com new and consideration to find and budget constraints.

 

I'm a sucker for any activity all three can do at once: library story time, swim classes, soccer camp, etc.

 

Generally I try to have them do some kind of regular physical activity (gymnastics, soccer, ballet) and then I will also consider things like art that I am happy to outsource. For us it is important to have at least one day a week where we don't have anything scheduled, and for sure this year (3rd) we couldn't do anything before 1.

[Dmmetler]

Benefit to DD is the biggest one. If it really, really is a great fit for her, I'll move heaven and Earth to make it work. Anything else is secondary.

 

Right now, the two activities that I set the highest priority on are piano and cheer. In the case of piano, I could teach it, but DD benefits so much from having another adult 1-1 to work with on a regular basis, and her teacher is great. It also doesn't hurt that I can barter MY teaching skills for DD's lessons-because she is also a homeschool mom and her 14 yr old does better with someone else teaching her piano, too :).

 

DD needs a physical activity, and cheer is something that she loves. Her coach is amazing with her, and is great at being firm and keeping the class in line, while understanding when behavior is under a child's control and when it isn't. DD has gained so much via the sport, and pushes herself so hard to improve, and her coach has been instrumental in that.

 

We do/have done other things, but those are the two that I see as most important to DD right now.

 

 

[Learning fun]

I've heard of one family who had a rule that each child gets two extracurriculars: something physical like karate or gymnastics and something cultural like music or art lessons. This makes good sense to me. As I have a tiny family, we can just go where the wind blows on this one without worrying about conflicting schedules or diminished family time.

[ladydusk]

Our extra-curriculars tend to be what we called "specials" when I was in school: piano and choir (when available); sports for gym; art classes and our Art with friends group.  That's (more than) enough with three children doing these things.  I do try to find extras they can do together; choir and the art classes fit that. 

 

I can provide the academics, the specials are where I need help. 

[Spring Flower]

My kids are similar ages with similar personalities. They've enjoyed most things we've tried and for a while I felt like I was jumping from one activity to another trying to find something they really love. Since they didn't take a special interest in anything, I chose things that interested me the most. Packing up the van with hockey gear, driving to practices, and sitting with a squirmy baby in a cold arena sounded like no fun to me. Packing the kids in the van in general is no fun for me so I try to choose activities I am motivated to take my kids to. It is a bonus if my kids can participate together. We have done this with swimming and it has been a sanity saver for me. 

[Jackie]

Interest, time, and money for most. Interest gets priority, assuming we can afford the time and money. When the interest level doesn't lean too far in one direction, then the decision is made by time and money. DD liked dance and gymnastics about equally, money dictated we choose only one for a while, she didn't have a preference so I picked gymnastics because it was the cheaper option.

 

For now, swim lessons are a given for her. DH loves the water, we always choose vacation spots near water, and we'd like to eventually live closer to a large body of water. Therefore, learning how to swim and water safety trump interest in anything else. But once she is a reasonably strong swimmer, whether to continue will be up to her. Fortunately for us, she loves her swim lessons, so this is not a battle of any sort.

[swellmomma]

Well now I have another thing to base my decisions on.  ds10 say a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation as per his lawsuit, and now we have to have him in a physical activity/sport 3-4 days a week pretty much permenantly to aid his healing.  That of course will not start until the payout for his injuries to cover it but that adds a new aspect I have not had to consider before.  The physical requirements of the child (just as easily if my child was a severe asthmatic I would not pick multiple physically demanding activities for him/her).

[ladydusk]

Oh, yes, we also try to do something (sports) locally because we aren't from our town and don't do school or church in our town.  It helps make us part of the community.