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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how many extra-curricular activities your DC do?

63 replies

AlwaysFuckingTired94 · 06/03/2022 21:52

DD1 (4) is in Reception and does:

Monday - Drama 4-5.15pm
Tuesday - Nothing
Wednesday - Nothing
Thursday - Rainbows 4.30-5.30pm
Friday - Multisports 3.15-4.20pm
Saturday - Football 9.45-10.30am
Sunday - Nothing

Is this too much? DD1 enjoys all her clubs and I'm lead by her personal interests.

How many clubs do your DC do, and how old are they?

OP posts:
TonkaTruckduck · 07/03/2022 07:30

My reception child does swimming and gymnastics one evening a week each. She also goes to a very good childminder 2 evenings who does lots of activities and crafts.

She'd like to do dance on the weekend, but we have so many weekends away /kids parties / other plans I'm loathe to pay a termly commitment for her to dance and miss a lot of it.

dancinfeet · 07/03/2022 07:35

17 year old DD here- she does 4 hrs of singing / drama / musical theatre on a Monday evening, 2 1/2 hrs of jazz dance on a wed evening and 3 and half hrs of ballet/ tap and jazz on a thurs. All of her classes finish around 8.30pm. Once a month attends an associate dance programme on a Sunday for 3 hrs.

JustMarriedBecca · 07/03/2022 07:42

DD 7 does
Monday - After-school dance (for childcare)
Tuesday - Piano
Wednesday - Gymnastics and Brownies
Thursday - After-school sports (for childcare)
Friday - Swimming

DS (5) does
Monday - After school club (for childcare)
Tuesday - Nothing
Wednesday - Gymnastics
Thursday - After school sports (for childcare)
Friday - Swimming
Sunday - Park Run

I try and keep the weekends free for family time although I'm increasingly aware we need to find a football club for DS(5) but I'd prefer drop in training over the commitment.

We're lucky in that they get to try different sports after school on Thursdays, some weeks archery, some tennis etc. If they showed a particular interest in one we might try and juggle to try it but I think in KS1 it's about trying different things rather than racing to 17 different things a night.

ByGrabtharsHammerWhatASavings · 07/03/2022 07:44

Ds is 5 and does swimming after school on Monday and gymnastics Saturday morning. Dd is 3 and does swimming on Wednesday and art club on Friday. I can think of more clubs they'd both enjoy but that's as much as I can afford atm.

Parfait · 07/03/2022 07:46

Dc all at indie schools and have long days. Only 1 club each until Y5 when they started to do more. (Now they do something all the time)

jellybe · 07/03/2022 08:13

6 yr old - rugby, ballet and swimming and will swap from rugby to cricket in the summer when training ends/ starts.

8 yr old- swimming and rugby and cricket in the summer

12 yr old- modern, tap, basketball

We go with what they are interested in whilst trying not to over load them.

riotlady · 07/03/2022 08:27

DD is nearly 4 and does dancing on a Saturday morning. She’s at nursery 4 days a week and definitely gets tired so I don’t think she’d cope with more! I’d like her to start swimming but I think it’ll be too much to start that the same term as starting reception so we’ll look at that next year I think.

OfstedOffred · 07/03/2022 08:47

DC is reception
Tuesday after school - swimming lesson
Thursday after school - piano lesson
Sat am - tennis lesson

I wouldnt want any more than this. As it is the piano lesson is deliberately fun rather than any pressure to make progress. Tbh I'm only even happy to do this much as DC is in a good state academically, can read well already and does so without prompting, so we arent struggling to fit in the daily reading book etc.

I'm always a bit cautious that in reception they can simply be too tired, I want DC to save their energy for school at this age.

WaitingForEgg · 07/03/2022 08:52

DD is 6 (year one)

Monday- gymnastics after school
Tuesday- swimming after school
Wednesday- nurturing nature club after school followed by piano lesson
Thursday- hamma bead club after school
Friday- nothing
Weekends she does occasionally have a riding lesson (1 a month approx) but we mostly keep weekends free for parties, time of play at home and go out on bikes etc

It’s a lot. I think sometimes it’s too much but she doesn’t want to give it up. The after school clubs are only 45 mins and very much play focused

MonkeyPuddle · 07/03/2022 08:58

DS is 4 and in reception. He does rugby on a Saturday morning.

TimeForTeaAndG · 07/03/2022 08:59

DD is 9.

2 nights a week sport for 90 minutes.
One night zoom class for 40 minutes.
1 night dance classes for 90 minutes.
Saturday sport for 2 hours.

At age 4 she was in nursery 3.5 days and did a gym tots class once a week, a ballet class for half an hour one afternoon and an hour of sport on a Saturday.

SleepingStandingUp · 07/03/2022 09:01

Year 2, just gymnastics. We used to do dance too but he was too tired. We walk a mile to and then from school each day so I'm not worried he's not getting enough exercise

HorseInTheHouse · 07/03/2022 09:07

6 year old does two sports with two sessions each per week, so four sessions in all. They are all in the afternoon when she would otherwise be in after school care, so she has weekends free.

4 year old does two physical activities, three sessions per week in all. Two after school and one on Saturday mornings.

Apart from the Saturday morning session, everything is right after school in the same area. They just walk over to the sports hall. We are lucky in the area we live in that everything's in the same place and the sports club and the schools work together. So there's no ferrying all over the place and it's just integrated into their school day. It's when there are multiple children going to multiple locations that things get stressful (for parents) I think.

I think your schedule seems fine as long as she doesn't seem tired and you have plenty of time for reading and free play at home.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 07/03/2022 09:12

8yo does guitar in school hours, horse riding and swimming at the weekends. Sometimes he does one of the clubs the school put on each term.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 07/03/2022 09:15

Seems like lots to me- my 4 year old reception child just does swimming- Perhaps because she’s a summer born baby I didn’t want to cram her first year of school with extra things.

Looubylou · 07/03/2022 09:16

Year 6 boy - none. He won't go to anything unless it is at school and they aren't running anything for year 6 at present. He did Beavers and Cubs, but under great sufference, and used covid break to refuse to go back. We suggest things all the time, but he refuses to consider. Happy for days out with friends etc but not clubs/classes. Very frustrating. I'm hoping secondary school offers opportunities that he will be willing to take up. Does no one else have this issue? He went to lots of baby and toddler groups, so it's never been lack of encouragement.

Meatshake · 07/03/2022 09:22

Mine is reception (5) and does swimming, gymnastics and rainbows. I'd be very hesitant to add another activity in.

TirednessButHappiness · 07/03/2022 09:24

DD is 6 (Y2) and does acrobatics one lunchtime at school and Rainbows one afternoon after school.

Sleepybumble · 07/03/2022 09:27

My dd 6 is in after-school club till 5.30 4days a week and we take her from there to swimming, cheer, beavers. We have dinner together after these clubs and she's in bed for about 8/8.30pm. At weekends she has another cheer practice and a drama lesson. I think its easily doable only if everything is pretty local and you have a car. We are entirely led by her interests but have said no more for now. Also she's an only child and has 2 adults to ship here about

lljkk · 07/03/2022 09:31

14yr old DS:

paper round daily (actually 2 rounds, typically)
Park run most Saturdays
volunteering Sundays, DoE
occasional competitive event or training for same
occasional event representing school, running club
it's plenty!

BogRollBOGOF · 07/03/2022 09:32

We do a lot (I'm on mum taxi every evening, but each child gets a night off.

Enough/ too much us about child's energy/ time/ travel/ cost/ commitment/ interests.

We do a lot because we have time (SAHM), most activities are low-cost and local, often walking distance, the DCs want to participate and it doesn't matter if we skip an occasional week if they need a break.
Also having two DCs of same sex, similar interests and close age gap, they often overlap or have complimentary stages in activities.

Trying to do so much with a 4yr age gap, lots of travel and strict commitments wouldn't be viable.

If it's logistically viable and fun, it's fine.

neverbeenskiing · 07/03/2022 09:42

8 year old does Guitar lessons on Wednesday evenings, Drama on Saturday morning and Swimming on Sunday afternoon. She also does a lunchtime Art club at school once a week. I think that's plenty. If she did anymore we'd struggle to fit in homework, playdates and spending time together as a family.

Dinosauratemydaffodils · 07/03/2022 09:51

Dc are 7 and 3.

Monday: Dc2 French
Tuesday: Both Street Dance
Wednesday: Dc1 Drama & Beavers
Thursday: Dc1 French
Friday: nothing
Saturday: dc1 Football and dc2 Ballet

All driven by them. Dc1 wants to add another sport and dc2 is on the waiting list for drama. Both on the waiting list for swimming as well. Saturday is the biggest pain as both activities are at the same time 11 miles apart so dh takes one, I take the other.

LaPufalina · 07/03/2022 09:51

DD5 does
gymnastics on Mondays
Swimming on Wednesdays
Going to do cricket on Fridays in May-June
She has her own pony so weekends/some evenings are taken up with that

DD3.5 just does dance on Saturdays and the odd ride on her sister's pony

Jizzle · 07/03/2022 09:53

DD is 4, we don't do any extra curriculars. She is the youngest in her year and frankly she comes out of school knackered, we aren't going to force her to do anything after school just so we can tell ourselves and others that we are great parents.

We are very much led by what she wants to do, and if next year she wants to start in a club then we can discuss it then.