To think I might be over scheduling my 8 year old?

[WhenYouveAFirstInEnglish]

He does climbing on a Monday, nothing on Tuesday (but often has a play date), Wednesday school football (until 415), Thursday drama (until 415) then Cubs 645-815, Friday club football training, Saturday religion school from 945-1 and Sunday club football match.

He loves all the activities although football is the passion, never complains about going, and when left to his own devices gravitates towards the switch or TV if he can’t go outside to play football. He’s not great at entertaining himself without screens although I do schedule in unscheduled screen free time in the holidays if that makes sense!!

It’s all fine, it works for us but I can’t shake the feeling it’s a bit much. Cubs is the latest thing he’s asked to do and I’ve a feeling it just might tip over the edge into too much?

Thanks

@Didiplanthis yes 1 ballet and 1 tap lesson at 4 years old! As a non-dancer myself I never thought this would be our lives!

I'm stunned at the sneery comments from an actual teacher about parents who are simply trying to give their children opportunities to develop their confidence, fitness and social skills

My DD (5 YR1) does 4x dance classes, swimming, rainbows and we quite often do junior parkrun as a family.

She also reads to me every night, I read to her every night, she's never got a spelling wrong, always does her homework and yet still manages to spend far too much time playing Minecraft or watching My Little Ponies!

Mrskeats - maybe the kids you teach are exhausted because of that or maybe for completely different reasons? To be honest I'd look towards too much screen time first.

My 2 oldest ones (5 and 8) are very good academically. Both are very keen readers (including my 5yrs old who is doing fantastic for her age and without pressure from us) and generally love school. Homework barely takes 1hr a week (yr 1 and yr 3) and reading is most nights before sleep. They are too young to have their schedule dictated by school. Later on we will see what we need to prioritise and how.

As for the 'ferrying around' - yes it's a commitment but it's our choice. We both work full-time. They go to afterschool clubs 3 afternoons a week. As I start work late they don't need to go to breakfast clubs.
Brownie/rainbow is after 6pm. I work from home and finish at 3pm on Tuesdays so that helps. Swimming was also after 6pm. Singing is 6-7pm. My husband finishes at 1pm on Fridays so he can take them to drama class at 5pm. The rest is week-ends.

My son had a similar schedule. By the time he was 16 he’d dropped everything except football. He enjoyed the activities at the time (he used to take himself to Sunday School!) , and was proficient in some (swimming and cross country at county level), but as his rate of growth sped up, his energy levels went down a bit.

He’s still fit and active at 19, with lots of confidence to try new things.

I forgot to mention- he also had some great knock on experiences. He was in a panto run of 27 performances with his favourite Blue Peter presenter!

I think that sounds fine. There’s plenty of time for family time, homework, reading and doing his own stuff.
Mine have similar schedules, including some stuff on Saturdays and Sundays. There is plenty of time for other things the rest of the day.
Football season usually ends in April and sometimes we cancel during the school holidays if we go away.
It’s good to keep kids busy and fit. Especially teens.

State school is bare bones now. If you want decent sport music or language you have to source it pay for it and facilitate it. Or go private and they do it.

YABU to send him to Religious Indoctrination School on Saturdays.

Apart from that, do whatever makes him happy and gives him opportunities to flourish, learn new skills and make friends.

Mrskeats
Are you seriously lecturing a teacher about how much time kids should read just? 😂

As high an opinion as you seem to have about yourself, you are not the best person to judge my kids - that you know absolutely nothing about.

You sound jealous more than anything, by experience it's the kids with a nice mix of activities who seem to perform A LOT better academically all the way to Uni.

The kids that you teach might be exhausted by watching tv all afternoon and evening from the comfort of their bed and not sleeping well and enough - whilst mine will be sleeping soundly after spending the energy they are designed to spend. They read plenty too

I'm tired just reading that

DD11 (but started around 9)

Mon - Ballet 5.30 - 6.45pm
Tues - Acro 6 - 6.45pm
Wed - Swimming 6 - 6.30pm
Thurs - Piano 4.30 - 5pm
Fri - Nothing
Sat - Tap & Modern 1.15 - 2.30pm
Sun - Nothing

That sounds pretty crazy to me personally, all my DC do is cubs/beavers once a week and that’s enough for them.

Wow this thread is like another world! My two are (a few weeks away) nearly 7 and 9. They have no after school activities. I help run the local youth club so we go there every other week after school one day but that's it. They are at the childminders til 7am til school and then after school til 6.30pm 3 days a week so the other 2 days they love being able to come home and relax. But mine don't have screens (really crap WiFi in middle of nowhere ruralness) so they are playing or helping me cook and look after the animals, and of course homework projects and reading. They don't ever say they are bored and seem to like being around the home/garden. Plenty of time for hobbies when they are older.

That sounds a lot but I think it very much depends on the child. My ds 7 often tells me I make it too busy and he wants down time so I try not to schedule too much in. He does
Mon- nothing, but dragged along to dd swimming
Tue- after school club until 5.45
Wed- nothing
Thurs- swimming
Fri- nothing
Sat- football
Sun- rugby

Thinking of starting tennis on Mondays when dd does swimming though.

That'd be far too much for me and I'm in my 30s but the only person you need to ask is your child.

Some love being action packed, some need more down time or anything in between. Just ask him, casually if he likes each club and if it makes him happy to go etc. A child that doesn't have loads of out the house activities can still have hobbies at home.

My DC's schedule would exhaust me, but everything on it was selected by them, not me.

That seems fine to me if he's ok and not tired for school.
My 9 ds has choir 7.30am Monday's before school then strings after school until 4.15
Tuesday - tuned percussion ensemble 7.30am before school then running club until 5pm after school
Theatre sports on a Wednesday, nothing on thurs or Friday.

He also has to do music practice every night (2 instruments) and a sat morning we usually run through all his music for an hour - which is actually a lovely way to catch up and spend time together.

Dd (11) has similar activities though just about to start waterpolo for compulsory sports (not uk) which we are a bit concerned about - she's on a music scholarship so need to ensure music practice is done which is harder as she's getting older and more homework.

hey are at the childminders til 7am til school and then after school til 6.30pm 3 days a week so the other 2 days they love being able to come home and relax.

which is absolutely fine, but why would you think it's too much for my kids to be: up 8am latest, leave home at 8:30am (school starts at 8:50)
in clubs from 3:15/3:30 to 5/5:30? Bed around 7:30, light switch off 8:30pm latest for the youngest.

It's not such a long day.

DS(7):

Tuesday: School football club followed by jujitsu
Wednesday: Beavers
Thursday: School lego club followed by swimming lesson

He is knackered by Friday. The only one he'd like to drop is swimming, but as my mother lives on a boat that one's non-negotiable. When he reaches a level where he can clearly swim well enough to be safe, he can stop.

One of mine does a similar amount , one much less - it depends on the child and I would never force an exhausted child to a club ... I reckon each club we miss one a term just due to tiredness . Over time I’ve realised at least one night off is crucial ( for mum taxi too) and I avoid late nights ( we stopped Cubs as a result )

It's fine. No difference really than kids being in afterschools every day. I did the same as a kids and my eldest had dame range of activities