cathmom Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 My dds are in ballet, which I consider to be PE. They both love dancing. They are both talented in other areas, but funds for activities (not to mention my time and energy) are limited. So I have been trying to think which ones would be useful. Ballet really isn't, but I wouldn't stop that. I'm thinking in terms of some guitar and voice lessons, because you can always entertain others that way. I guess you could think of it in terms of sports too. It's less practical to play team sports than to do something like tennis or track. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthwestMom Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 As my kids participate in sports, I try to help them find activities they will be able to enjoy their entire lives. Life long learners, life long fitness buffs. : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Definitely! My kids all take TKD because it's a great way to keep fit, it's something they can do as adults and it has helped with attentions spans, self-discipline, work ethic and serving others. It's also something they could teach as teens that would help them earn more money than a job at McDonald's. The same can be said for music. They'll be able to use those skills as adults and the study of music has been a huge benefit to them already and those benefits will only increase as their skills increase. The kids do one session of swim lessons per year - if dd wants to she'll be able to get lifeguard certification by age 16 and then she'll be able to lifeguard (again, more money than a fast food joint). The boys will move in this direction as well. We're looking at starting golf either this year or next year. It's something our family can do together and it's a sport that they can play for the rest of their lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okie Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Yes. My kids swim and play soccer, which I consider training them for lifetime fitness. They also both participate in Scouts, which teaches so many skills for the future I can't begin to list them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 If you consider that they could teach ballet someday if thy continue, you might see it from another pov. good point(e)! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Absolutely! All my dc take swimming lessons or are on the swim team into their teen years, so they can not only swim, but swim well. The advantages are it's an activity they can do all their lives, and aren't dependent on having several other people participate also. Plus, it's a huge safety issue. They all do an instrument also so they can help in praise and worship teams when they are older (my 3 older dc already have participated in church worship). And this year, we had to drop an activity: either speech & debate or choir. We chose to stay in speech and debate because we see those skills being more useful in their adult lives. When my older dc were younger, we chose activities based on what they wanted to try. As they have grown, and our family has grown also, we needed to be more selective in what takes up our time (and money;)). There are just too many good things to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 My (untested) theory is that there are many things they'll be able to do as an adult. We teach them now to be active and how to learn. Just because they don't have tennis lessons at 10yo doesn't mean they won't be able to learn how to play when they're an adult. However, there are a few activities they'll likely only do as children. Ballet and gymnastics are two of them, imo. Most people aren't going to go into a professional sport or activity such as baseball and dance. So I want my children to be able to experience these activities now, as much as is possible, anyway. Learning music as a child is important because, I've been told, we develop our perfect pitch by the age of 13 or so. We can learn to play an instrument or sing as an adult, but pitch is essential, I think. We are with a couple of the posters about teaching our dc a life skill with which they can support themselves, if they choose. But college still isn't optional. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Swimming is first among activities beyond academics. I don't let my dc drop swimming until they are swimming very well--so they stay in summer rec swim team until age 12. If they want to pursue club and there is money for it then we will pursue club swimming. TKD/martial arts/other self-defense for at least a year would be good. If only a year then I'd look at an older age (teens?) to do this. I think music instruction is important to being a well rounded individual. Again, if it's not going to be at least a major hobby then I wouldn't start until age 8-10 and I'd do it for 2 years. My dd isn't getting a fair amount of music theory through our church choir and also bells at church, so I probably won't pursue private instrument lessons for her (unless there's money, time and she asks). I don't think most choirs spend as much on theory as the one at our church. Other activities: I think it is important for people to have an interest. I think it's important for children to discover a pursuit that can be a good source of stress relief. I think many activities teach discipline and goal setting. Stress relief, discipline and goal setting are skills our dc will need throughout their lives. So, my dd may not be on track to be a professional dancer, but she is certainly learning the importance of discipline and goal setting at the studio where she spends so much time. The same can be said about many sports, musical pursuits, scouts, 4H and starting their own business (pet sitting, yard care, etc). My ds takes drums. He does know he doesn't have the talent to be a rock star (although he still has dreams). He also is starting to recognize that playing the drums for a few minutes calms him down. This phenomenon is quite obvious to me and I hope he will internalize this fully and learn that this is great way for him to manage anxiety, in the same way I manage my anxiety by swimming. I can't tell yet is the same is true for my dd and dance, but I do know a girl is attending a prestigious premed program and has kept taking ballet classes through college. I asked her about that and she specifically told me she does it to control the stress of her studies. She realized at a fairly young age (16) the doing ballet was a release for her. I might be wrong, but I don't think you can find the thing that motivates your dc for them. At least I couldn't. My kids would be serious swimmers if I could have made them do it. Only one wanted to try year round swimming and she quit after 3 years--all her decision. So, I let them try stuff based on the cost and time we have available to try. If they like something we continue. We've been feeling financially squeezed too. And we have cut back on the amount of activities. But we continue ballet and drums because of the long term intangibles which they produce. Hopefully, we will not need to cut them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 At least useful for relieving stress and bringing joy. So while my children are involved in sports that are suitable for adult life (one is a competitive tennis player, the other on a year round swim team) I would not really direct them into an activity that I found practical if there were something that they really loved. My children play the violin, and I know they are unlikely to be musicians when they grow up or even to major in music, but I want them to have the music education because I believe that will bless them their whole lives even if it's not in a productive way. If I had a child who really wanted to play a sport that is really for kids and not adults, I would still allow it. I want them to experience trying all kinds of new things and finding which ones bring real satisfaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 When I choose a sport or other physical type activity for my daughter I usually steer her toward something that I know she'll be able to do as an adult and where her height is a benefit (she's very tall for her age). Like vollyeball, basketball or tennis. If she's deadset on an activity I won't tell her no, but I just inform her that she may not be able to do it all her life. Like gymnastics. When I was in elementary school I LOVED gymnastics and I was very good at it too. I was committed and would have loved to have been a gymnast, but as I grew taller and taller, I started getting worse and worse at it as my body grew longer. I loved it so much, but my body just wasn't adapted to it. I'm now just shy of 5'10. I didn't want my daughter to go through that so I never signed her up for gymnastics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Definitely! My kids all take TKD because it's a great way to keep fit, it's something they can do as adults and it has helped with attentions spans, self-discipline, work ethic and serving others. It's also something they could teach as teens that would help them earn more money than a job at McDonald's. The same can be said for music. They'll be able to use those skills as adults and the study of music has been a huge benefit to them already and those benefits will only increase as their skills increase. The kids do one session of swim lessons per year - if dd wants to she'll be able to get lifeguard certification by age 16 and then she'll be able to lifeguard (again, more money than a fast food joint). The boys will move in this direction as well. We're looking at starting golf either this year or next year. It's something our family can do together and it's a sport that they can play for the rest of their lives. :iagree: We do piano lessons, karate and golf for the same reasons. And swim lessons but only to know how to swim...not for competition purposes. In fact, we are not all that interested in competing as much as personal enrichment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill- OK Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I want them to experience trying all kinds of new things and finding which ones bring real satisfaction. There's a balance, here, with regard to how we decide activities. With five kids, there's got to be a certain "How useful is this?" conversation, lol, but, yes...I do sometimes allow/encourage things that are simply enjoyable for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 To clarify, I'm not trying to choose things for my dc to do, I'm trying to find a way to prioritize the things they are already interested in. Swimming was not even on the radar LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.