How important to encourage a range of interests in Yr7?

Some strange attitudes here. Music can be very very competitive and stressful, particularly if you take grade exams.

Mine played netball today, competitive, yes, but also great fun, in a group of mates. Much less intense than studying for a grade 5 violin exam (dd2 giving up as doesn't want any more grade stress - she will continue to play in orchestra until her friends move on)

Ah yes the joys of youth orchestras. DD is going to China with a youth orchestra! What an amazing opportunity. But she's unfit....

pourme - I found that orchestra tours offered lots of opportunities as a teenager

OP - I'd just be happy she's at a school that let's her follow her passions. Why are you worrying? Be grateful she's not at a school where she's browbeaten into doing lots of thuggish herd games, but perhaps encourage her to try some more physical thing from time to time to see if it clicks.

I wouldn't worry. Sounds like she has found a range of things she enjoys doing, even if they are all music based. I'd imagine percussion could burn a few calories? And orchestras etc often offer opportunities for tours etc when they get older, as well as helping them to meet friends outside their usual circle.

My 2 DDs (yr 6/7) have more of a range of activities, but I think that is because neither is especially sporty or musical. Both learn an instrument, and go to sea scouts, then one sings in the school choir and the other does drama and goes to a church youth club. My yr7 DD doesn't seem to have joined many school based clubs, as she'd rather chill with her friends at lunchtime.

My DSS1, who is nearly 20, hated most sport growing up, despite plenty of exposure (DP and DSS2 are super sporty and the family belongs to a big Paris club where they spent lots of time).

A few years ago he discovered individual sports: running and the gym. He is now super fit and works out several days a week.

Not necessarily, Gently, my dd loathes competitive team sport but enjoys lifesaving a lot, it is basically about learning skills. Admittedly the aim is to reach a certain standard to qualify as a beach lifeguard at age 16, but if they stick with it then most dc should be able to achieve it (unless they have eg health limitations, even then it is a real life skill).

There is also plenty of non organised sport, eg dd likes surfing, just at the level of messing about with a board but it's still good exercise and fun.

I would say in dd's little world performance is far more competitive, who gets placed in the Eisteddfod, who gets the good parts in the play etc.

takver indeed.

My DS is stood by his bed in shin pads etc come Sunday match time. But I have to bribe him with Peking Duck to get him to go to a poetry reading.

Brenda I don't think all EC activities need to be relaxing. They can be stimulating and challenging and difficult. Sometimes it's those activities that we most resist yet turn out to be the most rewarding.

But having said that I think that everyone should run or walk, unless they can't, because running and walking are fab and you can listen to music/a good audio book while you do it. :) being fit is really important. Engaging in competitive sport is something entirely different. If a kid wants to do it, brilliant. If not, they should be hounded into doing it to satisfy someone's notion of what kids should be made to do.

Organised sport is about competition. Most kids roped into it are fodder, for the really good ones to beat on their way to the top. Creative pursuits (which includes stuff like gaming and coding, not just the obvious ballet and piano) are about kids having fun and doing something that interests them either with others or on their own. I know what's more important for an enriched happy life. And it's not being someone else's fodder.

You see, the trouble is that reading the above posts I can imagine any "ordinary" kid's heart sinking. County players, accomplished musicians, talented artists etc etc.

If someone is just blah at things, and atrocious at sporty pursuits, then it's no real encouragement to join an activity if it's going to make them feel crap about themselves.

An extra-curricular activity should be enjoyable, a relaxation but - I'm sorry - I can feel the competitiveness oozing off some previous posts.

To be fair, I'd say that amongst families I know, it's far more likely that the dc want to go to football club/sea cadets/surfing, and get hassled to do music practice, rather than the other way around.

I hasten to add - it's fine, they are entitled to their views obviously I just thought it was a bit...odd and commented on it in a bored moment! :)

Nolonger - exactly. But some people seem to think that organised sport (in clubs) is a sine qua non. And anything else isn't.

I think arty kids (mine both are) or indeed everybody - need to exercise - not necessarily do sports.

My issue is that some posters seem to deny parity of esteem between sport and other stuff. Arty kids should beads to do sports but sporty kids aren't perceived as needing to do anything else. It's a shame for the kids.

*no argument

I love music art and drama and so do my two younger dds but I think it is essential that children exercise - getting out of breath exercise - three or four times a week. Lovely as music is, is doesn't help your physical health (emotional health yes if you love it). Surely there is jobs argument about exercise being important? If mine didn't exercise I would pay them to!

DD14 likes art and music- piano lessons on a thursday night, junior jazz ensemble as a Monday lunchtime club, her sketchbook never seems to leave her side. We go to exhibitions together.

DD12 does piano lessons too, but her heart is not in there, she enjoys playing, but does not want to "learn" and is just doing the lessons because she is worried she won't be able to play any more if she stops...(a bit of a worry-wort) ... she does some sewing and crafts too and she likes to draw manga.

As for exercise - we have a dog. Evening walks 40-60 min a day are the kids "responsibility". As is training (not really, but it gets them doing some) and general rough and tumble chase games with him. And we all take the dog out on the hills and through the woods at the weekend.

I think it is more important for young people to follow their interests to find the things they really love than to force them down specific routes.

I have one DC who is a rugby playing lad who likes team sport and another who likes drama and writing and would rather do anything than play team sport. As long as they are happy, I don't really mind what they do.

Mine are a bit older, 14 and 16, but I wouldn't dream of making them pursue an activity they didn't want to and when younger I was always been happy to let them to drop an activity when they lose interest - including one who was at national championship standard at 10 and just decided on the way home from the finals one year he was done with it and we stopped his training.

IMO there is nothing worse than a child doing an activity they aren't really keen on just to please their parent. I just want them to be happy

My DS is the same - he loathed school games when it was hockey followed by rugby followed by cricket. So far this year he's done gym work, rock climbing, basketball, tennis and badminton and he now looks forward to games lessons. (He used to try to persuade his instrument teacher to schedule lessons to overlap with games periods so he could go to the library for the rest of it).

It can be an uphill struggle keeping musical DCs active too.

DD1 is happy to join another choir, but a school sport club, no way.

Fortunately she has always kept up going to Guides and now Rangers and that has occasional out breaks of hiking miles. Although it too also ends up as an impromptu music recital some times due to the others singing and playing things too.

Getting DD2 to do anything except gymnastics and trampolining is impossible.

Yoga or pilates perhaps for exercise. Or zumba/dancing?

If you go hill-walking/hiking/camping etc as a family that will hopefully develop a healthy love of the outdoors that she can continue in either a structured or non-structured way as she gets older (and potentially give her the confidence to see more of the world cheaply/do DofE etc)

Charity work perhaps - great for mixing with people of all ages and walks of life.

My DD did mostly music things (+ DofE and Zumba). Sadly she now does nothing that isn't musical - in fact she hopes to be a musician. I feel she doesn't have a healthy lifestyle though..... Cautionary tale......

My da wanted to go to a particular club at school but was worried about being seen as "uncool" so I paid him to go. His mates were very impressed!