Extra curricular activities

It seems to be the norm for kids to be doing some kind of enrolled activity from a reasonably young age these days. I've just been thinking about the pros and cons and what we as parents consider to be important. When I was a child I remember having piano lessons, belonging to a swimming club, going to Brownies etc etc. Our children don't do a huge amount at the moment (but they are still reasonably little) so I wondered what everyone else does.

What extra curricular activities do you have your children involved in? And at what sort of age? How do you decide what you'll enrol them in? If they suddenly don't want to go do you keep them going for the sessions you have already paid for or do you let them pick and choose?

   

Yeah I'm the same as Hopes, I think swimming lessons are important, so when DS is older I will enrol him in that.
Other than that, I will let him lead the way. It would be great if he got involved in a sport and a musical thing, but if he's not interested, I certainly won't force him.
My Mum would make us stick anything out for the entire term, she would let us try different things, but we had to commit to the entire term, which worked well, cos I tried a fair few things.

I do hear of children doing a huge number of extra curricular activities and it sounds so exhausting, for both the child and the parents. I do think limiting the number of activities on the go at once is a good idea, otherwise everyone just ends up burned out.

It's harder when you have more than one child too, as the activities start adding up!

We've limited DD1 (almost 4) and DD2 (almost 2) to swimming lessons this year as I work 4 days a week and it was getting too stressful spending my one day off/the weekend having too many activities on.

Ideally I would like the girls to have one other activity each as I know DD1 would love ballet but will need to see how to fit it into the week...

I have DD2yrs in My Gym which is a kids gym in Auckland. She loves it! I started when she was 15mths as she needed to be round other kids and she has excelled in it so we keep going. She can now climb stall bars faster then three yr olds, do stalk stands and walk a beam unaided. It has taught her listening, co-operation, taking turns, as well as her fine and gross motor skills.

I want her to do swimming but might wait till she's 4 for that. She loves dancing so may have to do a term of swimming then one of dance

We take our girls to swimming (they've been going since they were 7 months old) and this term we've been going to Gymbaroo which they LOVE.

These are the only activities they are actually enrolled in. I also take them to Bounce & Rhyme and multiple birth club playgroup.

Next term I think we might skip swimming and do Gymbaroo on the weekend instead cos I'll be back at work.

I'm keen for them to keep up the swimming and I'd like for them to choose another activity as they get older, either sport or music etc. I'll leave it to them to decide but I'll expose them to as much as I can so they know what they have to choose from and hopefully won't choose something like guitar lessons and then hate it - like I did

Edited by Danda08

A lot of activities I did as a kid were the same as my older brother that way Mum only had one activity to take us to.

I've taken DS to baby gym since he was 4 months old. It's on a Monday for 40minutes. He's been going to swimming since he was 8 months old, now 11 months old. Next year he's going to do Toddler gym, music jam & swimming. Things might be different if I get preggy again and have 2 wee darlings

My DS did soccer from just over 2 til he turned 4, then we moved to swimming lessons on sat morning so stopped soccer. Both kids do athletics in summer (DD's first season this year as shes only 2). DD did dance classes for the last few months but its stopped for a few months now so both are doing soccer again (DS didn't stop going on about it since he left!).

When I was a kid mum always had us in a couple of activities each. If we committed to something we had to finish the term / season. although I did come home from tennis crying after a few lessons and managed to somehow get out of that as I hated it! lol. I did rhythmic gymnastics til the end of 6th form though and jazz ballet right til the end of high school.

kandk - to answer your question about swimming -- we took DS to classes at 7 months but it was really just playing in the water and singing, and he didn't really like being dunked. also got an ear infection. We definitely didn't need him being exposed to more bugs after he started daycare at 10months. And it was hard timing it around morning tea / nap time when he was little. so we only did one term. We waited til he turned 4 to start again as they really don't have the co-ordination / physical ability to swim properly til at least that age, so I felt it was just a waste of money doing it much sooner (its just water confidence in the baby/toddler classes). So yeah they would learn younger the earlier they start but it would take longer - so I think looking at the friends kids who started a bit earlier - by the time they get to school they will probably be at a similar ability (but its cost us less overall). We also have a pool and spa so he was pretty confident in the water. I didn't want to try again before he was old enough to follow instructions and go in the water by himself etc (so from 3yrs). He was more interested in soccer so that was what we did with him at 2/3. My niece had lessons a bit younger and actually got scared and put off so has come back to it as an almost 4yr old and is doing better a bit older. DD is a lot more confident naturally thans DS or my niece and has watched DS in class, so we will probably start her at 3yrs (when she can go in the class without a parent). I personally would rather do dance or sport, so swimming is something I think they need to do, not something I think of as fun (not the way I'd ideally like to spend my sat mornings!!)! haha.

Edited by Nikki

k&k - we started really early with Daniel (7 months) but something freaked him out about swimming when he was 3 so we have to basically start over with him.

I'm starting Alex with swimming next year so he will be 16 months. I've decided to start him later because its easier now he's only on one day sleep so I don't end up with a very cranky baby

kandk wrote: I'm curious to know why people are deciding to wait until they are 2/3/4 before starting swimming lessons? I started DS when he was 6 months, but I am a swimmer, so that's partly why. I know instructors touting programmes say that the earlier you introduce them to water activities the better.

Introducing your child to to water and water safety/confidence is very different to 'must have' swimming lessons IMO. In fact, much has been said that as long as a child starts swimming lessons at 4-4 1/2 on a regular basis, by the time they have done a year they are up to speed with children that have had 'lessons' since they were babies. I've seen what baby classes etc do, and TBH I'd rather pay $3 to go for a swim at any time with my toddler and do exactly the same stuff, than pay someone $10 for showing me how to teach a baby to blow bubbles. Each to their own of course, but don't think that because a child is in paid lessons as a baby, that they are going to be better off.

(off soapbox now) - Anyway, as for extra-curricular activities, I'm guessing you mean at school not as preschoolers. My son will be starting rugby at 4, may continue on with that but not sure. We are planning on limiting to one summer sport and one winter sport, and learning an instrument, but that is during school time at the school they go to.