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If you grew up in the 80s/early 90s. Did you do extra curricular activities?

411 replies

Jellycatjellycat · 07/03/2024 19:03

I'm interested to see what is the norm.

I did nothing, no swimming, dance, brownies or anything like that. I do remember other girls doing Brownies and Ballet after school and asking my mum if I could go. She shut it down and told me I wouldn't like it.

These days of course most children do a lot of extra curricular activities but wondering if perhaps it wasn't such a thing years ago.

OP posts:
Clingfilm · 07/03/2024 23:35

Lol no. Briefly went to brownies but I felt bad for asking for subs every week.
Didn't have a car so was limited to the village anyway.
Begged for piano lessons, was told to ask the old lady over the road who had a piano to teach me, course I didn't.

Who knows what I could've been if we were middle class, sigh...

cherish123 · 07/03/2024 23:28

Swimming, skiing, music
Brother did rugby 1980s

SqueezedMiddleTummy · 07/03/2024 23:26

Primary in the 80s.
my gran ran the local brownies so I went there.
horse riding
ice skating lessons
piano
clarinet

but I was an only child and when my dad died in an accident when I was 6 my mum had a large payout so we were comfortable financially

TraitorRoundTable · 07/03/2024 23:24

Nope, so I got a Saturday job at 13.

LadyMacbethWasMisunderstood · 07/03/2024 23:20

Oh. And my dad taught me to swim and ride a bike and surf.

LadyMacbethWasMisunderstood · 07/03/2024 23:15

70s child here. I had piano lessons and dancing paid for out of school. But lots of days out at weekends and holidays too at local beaches in summer and the moorland in the winter. My parents had not much money but I look back and really appreciate how hard they tried and what they gave me.

Creamcrackered10 · 07/03/2024 23:15

Brownies, Guides on a Tuesday evening and the swimming lessons on a Saturday morning. Played netball, hockey and basketball for the school team until I was 14. Learnt euphonium at primary school for a few years.

Mopsybunnycheesestringsnotcarrots · 07/03/2024 23:09

100%
The funny thing is, I actually didn’t realise how lucky I was at the time to get the opportunities to do everything. Took it for granted completely.
Horses (riding, competing.mucking out the full farm upbringing) piano lessons, athletics, cross country running club on Sunday, swimming club on Thursday nights, highland dancing on Saturday, netball. Brownies, guides, gymnastics.
I remember moaning about it sometimes. How little did I know and how much I didn’t appreciate what mum and dad did for me and my siblings,

SadlyACupOfTeaDoesNotSolveEverything · 07/03/2024 23:07

Oh and school netball team then county.

SadlyACupOfTeaDoesNotSolveEverything · 07/03/2024 23:06

I’m 40. I did rainbows, brownies then guides. Ballet, tap and majorette dancing until about age 8 when I switched to tennis lessons. Swimming lessons. Music lessons.

SplodgeOfCustard · 07/03/2024 23:02

I want to guides.

CordyD · 07/03/2024 23:00

Nope I never did anything and I desperately wanted to. Lived in a small rural town so very few opportunities and I don't feel I was ever encouraged to have a hobby.
As a result I think I push my son quite hard into doing extra curricular sports and cub scouts so he has a passion. I have now taken up ladies football at 40, so it's never too late.

Station11 · 07/03/2024 23:00

I did ballet, swimming, gymnastics, (not to a high level) brownies and guides and did county badminton which did not do my knees any good, and drama.

itsnotallfunandgames · 07/03/2024 22:59

Much parental resistance to extracurriculars, the 70s parenting style of 'benign neglect'.

Cornishclio · 07/03/2024 22:58

My 2 DC grew up in 80s/90s. They did swimming, Brownies/Rainbows/Guides music lessons and horse riding.

EC22 · 07/03/2024 22:57

I used to go to things but I’d never last more than a few weeks. Tap dancing and brownies are what I remember. Brownies interfered with my Saturday telly so I stopped going. We were poor so my mum wouldn’t have encouraged us to keep going.

HippyChickMama · 07/03/2024 22:55

Ballet, tap and gymnastics for a few years in infant school
Music lessons and then youth orchestra through to county orchestra from junior school onwards
Drama, swimming, cadets and netball (played for the school team and the cadets team) during high school

Myotheripodisayoto · 07/03/2024 22:54

80s baby.

Swimming lessons. Ballet for about 2 years but then wasnt bothered & quit.

2 x musical instrument lessons & local orchestra from age 9 or so onwards, a youth council & school rounders team in secondary.

Girliefriendlikespuppies · 07/03/2024 22:50

Yes swimming, brownies and a slightly hippyish group called Woodcraft Folk.

Cheshiresun · 07/03/2024 22:45

Yes, piano lessons, Brownies, swimming, there used to be a local youth club as well and a weekly disco!

At school, in ours anyway, all after school clubs were free, in primary anyway, so usually had at least one of those per week as well. Can't recall any after school clubs at secondary.

Updownleftandright · 07/03/2024 22:43

All I can remember was brownies/guides and a short stint in drama club (which I took to be acting like a dick for fun). I did holiday clubs which were good fun. Other friends did more but I was from a single parent family on an estate. My mum never really asked if I wanted to do anything. My brother did football.

DS school does a lot of cheap clubs 10 to 40 quid per term, which he occasionally does and then two other regular paid ones (cubs and a sport). I'd love him to try something musical but these are very expensive. Other son has severe SEN and you can't even get them into after school or holiday club, let alone anything else.

I think years ago for many kids you played out rather than organised activities, although my mum didn't have much money.

GlitteryUnicornSparkles · 07/03/2024 22:43

1984 birth year, I did:
swimming lessons
netball
basket ball
guitar lessons
Guides
horse riding
sunday school
country dancing

barnefri · 07/03/2024 22:37

Girls Brigade, Sunday school, disco dancing, Highland dancing, a church-related crafting group and badminton.

Wishitsnows · 07/03/2024 22:35

Yes loads of activities after school and at weekends. Born in the 70’s. Squash, horse riding, brownies, music, windsurfing, dance. There were loads but I kept changing what I wanted to do!

Firstsimnelcake · 07/03/2024 22:33

I did Brownies, art club (in school) and tennis when I was very young, then netball and choir as a teenager.

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