11 year old granddaughters activity level

I don't see an issue. Sleep isn't an issue if she keeps this level of activity up. Some people just have more energy and need less sleep.

I would imagine it is keeping her head busy as well. I would actually consider it a healthy approach to grief. Remember she is going to have the grief hit her at each milestone, and having these outlets may prove to be a support.

A lot of private school kids will be doing a similar amount - training in the morning, a lunchtime club, afternoon sport and weekend matches and activities. I'd focus on diet and sleep - is she eating enough and getting enough good-quality sleep? Focus on the issues there.

I think it's OK for Y7. She may need to choose to focus on one sport when she goes to Y10 if she's getting too tired for academic work. Some purple can cope with more than others. If she very energetic then this is great. As long as she eating enough.

Speaking from experience, it all caught up with me in my 20s. Not eating enough for my activity level etc. Told I had very reduced fertility in my early 20s but thankfully conceived. I'm lucky I didn't develop osteopenia, which a lot of girls are at risk of if they don't eat enough. It seems a lot of women on Mumsnet have eating disorders and are happy their teens and pre teens are very underweight. It's as dangerous as being overweight.

Is she actually underweight?

6 hours of tennis and a comp isn’t all that much, although i think in the U.K. it’s more than normal. Both my sons play tennis and they train 7-8 hours a week plus matches and that’s pretty standard for your “main” sport here in Australia.
When we lived in the U.K. for a year my kids were surprised at how inactive people were generally and it was remarked on that they trained three times a week which was really the bare minimum that they would do over here.

If she enjoys it, go for it! My youngest is the keenest on tennis and he says he would play every day if he could!

I actually worry about this for my teen. Her periods can disappear for months and I don't know if it's just normal teenage irregular cycles or if it's because she does so much sport and doesn't eat enough. She's very slim, but doesn't look unhealthy slim, so I'm not sure.

Butt out. It’s up to your son.

It’s similar to the level of extra sport I was doing at 11, away at boarding school. I hated the specific sports but the level of activity was fine. I was going to sleep a little bit earlier, lights out at half past nine. If she isn’t tired, which it seems she isn’t, then she is probably getting enough sleep.
I think the key things here are simply making sure she has a good balanced diet , which seems fine from what you have said, and shifting things if the schedule starts to have an impact on her school workload as she gets towards GCSEs . So at the moment don’t worry, it sounds as though she is a great girl, bright, mature and sensible for her age, and as though she is coping well.
It is understandable that you get anxious about her given the tragedy in your family, you sound a lovely, caring Grandmother doing your best to support her.

I thought you were posting to say she is not active.
She must enjoy sport and I don't think it's too much if it's what she wants to do.

There is a lot of evidence that sporty people are more successful and confident later in life OP.

I understand you might be concerned but she will probably rotate away from a couple of sports over time as she hits teens etc and the academic demands start getting a bit more intense.

I think she sounds wonderful and sporty.

Sounds like my daughter age10, she trains to national level in 2 sports and most weekends is playing matches. She also has 2 music classes a week, language school for Swedish a few hours a week and does English and French bilingually at school. She loves her busy life and it’s her choice to do this. As others have said this sort of schedule is pretty normal for private or international schools.

I think healthy 11-year-old girls do tend to look "skinny" if you compare them to adults or younger children. Their growth in height outpaces their growth in the other directions, that's just normal.

My DD(11) does on average 10 hours a week at a high level of martial arts. Ahead of competition that can go to 12 -14. She also does an art class on Sunday mornings too. We get a lot of comments about it being too much for her, but she loves it and it really has helped her moods and mindset.

she was injured in summer and had to miss a couple of months. She really hated it and I noticed how much more she was on screens. (I never put limits on it). When she's training it means it naturally limits it anyway and she is just happier.

It sounds like your granddaughter is enjoying everything and so long as she's fuelling her body well then long may it continue. The drop out rate in athletics (and most sports) for girls around 13 and up is significant.

As long as she enjoys her activities, knows she can stop them or cut down if they ever get too much and is still managing to keep up with schoolwork and friends then I think this is perfectly OK and (hopefully!) a great foundation on which to build a healthy and successful life.

I don't see any issue. I would pay attention to her diet and be careful of any injuries.

A pro coach will be good for her. If she wants to be an athlete, she will learn about fuelling her body and resting properly for recovery.

Are all the sessions hard sessions? If so, reshaping her activities so there's a rest day or two might be worth looking at. I think I'd be more wary about the short sleep duration than the activity levels - a fair few sports bodies suggest that around an hour a week per year of age is a reasonable benchmark, but sessions should be of varying intensity. If doing multiple sports and doing each two or three times a week, it's possible that no sport considers her overall loading, and perhaps then she might benefit from having a lighter day here and there.

Agree with others, sounds amazing. You don’t sound very supportive or enthusiastic. Yes she probably will never be a pro but she loves her hobbies, is keeping fit and healthy and has fun. Sounds to me 10 times preferable than a child who is on screens for hours every day. I think focusing on a hobby or sport also teaches kids valuable lessons and helps them with persistence and resilience.
I also lost a parent young and having meaningful hobbies and interests is so important especially when she hits teenage years. Grief is complicated and she will and probably does miss her mum a lot. Doing something meaningful that brings her joy is so important. And sounds like it helps with bonding with dad (going to Wimbledon).

My younger DD does 4 dance classes a week (plus other sports) and she loves them and begged us to be able to do all 4.

Yep, this.

I was a naturally slim child, which was often commented on. I developed an eating disorder in my early teens which was definitely not helped by the focus on my weight, as I became fixated on staying thin.

Pretty normal for an athlete.

Support her.

Very normal levels of activity, and I bet she's not 'skinny', just normal healthy 11 year old. Well done to her dad for managing this, it must be hard to juggle but so important

Hello. I think if she’s enjoying it then all good! Great to have a routine of exercise every day, good for mental and physical health. Also I imagine competing etc gives points of focus after losing her mum ie may be way of trying to have a sense of moving forward. My experience of children this age is that if they don’t want to do it, they will let you know! Great also for an only child to be out and about and with people (I say this having one DD and being worried that she may get lonely). Re being skinny, I ate like a horse and was super skinny when I was young with limited sports- all changed later in life and I wish sport had been part of my life earlier as it all feels so much harder now. You sound like a wonderful GP who loves her GD a great deal and your DS is doing a great job. I think just carry on being there and be available to talk. There might be things she’ll think about more as she gets older re her mum (and other stuff) that she may find hard with her dad. Best wishes

Sounds very healthy to me - don't think you have anything to worry about 🙂 She also sounds v sensible around doing homework at school in the mornings between tennis and classes - as long as she's not struggling to balance everything I think it's fine.

Getting girls to do any sport - particularly once they're in their teens - is a big challenge, so the fact that she loves sport now means she's unlikely to abandon it any time soon, which is great.

I was a sporty kid - which baffled my mother who hated sport ... sport is great for mental wellbeing and feeling part of a team 😊