To ask of this is too much extra curricular stuff?

[carribeanqueenmumofthree]

Dd (8) - school choir on Monday. Basketball training on Tuesday.
School football on Wednesday.
Cricket on Thursday.
School sports club followed by brownies on Friday.
Football on Sat morning, tennis sat afternoon.

DS (6) - football on Tue eve
Afterschool sport club, then football training on Wed evening.
Cricket on Thursday evening.
Football on Sat morning.
Football match every few Sunday's

I have a 15yo Dd who has always done brownies, guides etc, but nothing else formal, just the odd afterschool club. It feels like the younger dc's activities have got a bit out of control! They really enjoy everything they do, and have lots f energy to use up.

Does it all sound a bit crazy?!

Yes, far too much

They must be knackered

(Sent too soon)

It would to me. My dd who’s 5 only takes a class on afternoon a week. I don’t aim to do anything on weekends as that’s family time and we intend to keep it that way. The only exception would be something she is really serious about. But depends if those are after school clubs and you need them for wraparound care.

Way too much IMO, and presumably only manageable by a parent doing school pick up and ferrying around!

Yes sounds to much. I'd drop the sports club to start. Doing 2 things on one night is just to much is just asking for really tired kids.

Maybe ok some of the time but I'm sure you'll end up with over tired children at some point espicaly towards the end of term.

Er just a bit

Do you have much family time left? When do you get to go out as a family? What about homework? Sorry but it sounds like a crazy schedule to me.

Does it feel too much - either for you or them? I word it that way deliberately because I do think that we forget ourselves a bit in all this. I am currently weighing the heaviest I have ever been because I eat badly (late at night) and don't do any exercise really because I can't fit it around the chauffeuring I do. I've took a stand that gives me some time after half term by working things out differently with DH but also the kids have had to make some choices. To be honest we couldn't really afford all that they were doing either. The day-to-day subs were not to bad but we didn't really factor in all the extras - uniforms, special days, badges etc. It was all really adding up. Plus our kids 'aren't meeting expectations'. So we all decided together that what they were doing was too much and we are making changes. Might be worth asking the children if you haven't - it was interesting that they seemed to be enjoying things but they didn't like some the rushing as well.

My DC do loads too (on the days I don't work). It's fine if they enjoy it and they aren't too tired - and you don't mind ferrying them about!

It depends on the child, My kids are busy during the week (4 activities each after school) but free at weekends. They are young and go to a “no homework” school (apart from reading) so we don’t have to fit that in. I reckon plenty kids are in breakfast club/after school club/with a childminder so that is no more or less tiring.

My plan is to let them try as many different things until they reach the end of primary age when they can they pick one or two to focus on in high school.

If they seem happy and want to go then it’s fine. Though I do appreciate that on MN that probably isn’t the majority view.

It completely depends on the children and how the rest of their day runs. If they are doing the activities for their own enjoyment and it’s just short sessions and you aren’t exhausted taking them, it’s a good thing. If they stop enjoying them, are over tired, or have no down time then it might be too much. Just ask periodically if they want to drop anything. In my experience this normally happens a week after your bought a whole lot of kit for the soon to be ditched activity!

There's time for homework. They read everyday, do the other stuff a few times a week. They have play dates too. Lots of the activities are with friends, so they're social life is part of it. That also means lifts are shared.
They are just very active kids who need to run around!

I think it depends a bit on what the clubs are. My eldest does a school every day of the week but it's really just playing with her friends at school with a vague theme attached (e.g. computer club is playing computer games, netball club is a fairly disorganised game of netball/standing around giggling). I still feel like it's a bit too much but I feel better that it's not formal. It does eat into her doing nothing time at home which I think is important though.

I do know people though that do 2 extra curricular a night outside of school. e.g. music then swimming. Karate then cubs.

I think it sounds alright. They get a couple of days off a week and are active. As long as they enjoy it!

DD has a sports club 6 days a week (5 different sports) and brownies she has a Tuesday and Thursday off. People thinks she does too much. I think she does too much. She bloody loves it though, she'd be doing sport every hour of every day if she could!

Sounds OK to me. I'd just assume they are sporty and energetic.

I had wind band on Mondays, science club followed by swimming club on Tuesday. Nothing on Wednesday then Italian on Thursday. Orchestra then swimming club on Friday. Swimming gala on Saturday and then swimming club again on Sunday. Wasn't too much for me but it depends on the child.

Mixed opinions, interesting! Everything they do is their choice, they've picked their activities so we just support them as best we can.

Your 8 year old DD has clubs every weekday evening and both morning and afternoon Saturday- I'd definitely say that was too much. When does she socialise with friends, spend time with her family, do homework, play, relax? Your 6 year old sounds like he has a better balance.

Here’s my kids activities (I’ve slightly anonymised as some of the sports are minority ones so quite revealing.)

Dd - 8 years

Monday - Brownies
Tues - after school rounders (thankfully only for 5 weeks!)
Thurs - Sport A
Fri - Sport B
Sat - Sport C & Sport D
Sun - More sport A and church

Ds - 5 years

Weds - Sport A
Fri - Sport B
Sat - Sport E
Sun - Sport F (thankfully only for 8 weeks)

Dd wants to do more sports! Ds would happily stay at home and watch
PAw Patrol on his IPad 24/7 but really enjoys the sports when he does them.

I (and dh but I do most of the facilitating) am bloody knackered!

Unfortunately many of the activities have long waiting lists so we can’t just stop for a term.

Even more unfortunately dd did a taster event through school for another sport yesterday and apparently she shows talent at it.

We need more time as a family. But dd loves all the sports and appears to be showing promise at them.

(Should add that dh and I met playing a sport and dh was a junior international and BIL is a Commonwealth medalist at that sport so doing lots of sport is in their blood. Ironically the “family sport” is not one of Sports A - F and I worry that we are preventing the kids from trying it.)

Way too much. I'd hate it both as a parent and a child.

To much. How do you get anything else done?

Softsheen we have play dates after the school clubs have finished, they're only 45mins. Or she misses them if there's an invite she'd rather take up. They manage to squeeze in a lot of watching crap on YouTube, which is their downtime! When the screens are turned off at home, their choice is to go into the garden and play footy / cricket / jump on the trampoline. They don't want to be inside playing with stuff, sadly.

And family time is Saturday afternoon / Sunday.

Mumoftwo yours also sounds crazy, you have my sympathy