Anyone else's child who doesn't do anything extra-curricular

[zebra]

All this talk of piano lessons, violin lessons, drama, whatever, is getting me down. DS is 5, DD 3 -- & they don't do anything. Most the other children in DS's reception class do swimming, dance, or some sort of tuition out of school (and it really isn't a posh school, either!).

I tried DD at dance lessons 4 months ago & she wouldn't coooperate. Took DD & DS to trampolening Saturday am for a few weeks in September, but they usually don't want to go nowadays. Am toying with suggesting piano lessons, but am apprehensive. I have this horrible anxiety my kids are falling behind their peer group or we should be trying to encourage them to develop talents, but then they won't cooperate & it's a big effort for us anyway (with a baby to drag along, too).

Does anyone else have a child who doesn't/won't do anything extra-curricular at age 5? Did they get intrested in activities outside school as they go older? Or does it not really matter?

How do you decide, out of all the options, what to try taking them to, anyway?

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There is a pre-Brownies group for girls aged from around 5 called Rainbows. Although we are atheists my girls love Brownies and it is fantastic value for money - only 50p a session! My 9 yr old had a week's camping holiday last summer for £75 and loved every minute of it despite being wet, cold and filthy!!!

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the beaver hotline?

Thanks for the replies, although I think we might try a piano lesson, I feel a bit better about it now. DS is just too tired with school too, right now.
How do you send your child to beavers/scouts/whatever if you don't teach them to believe in god, btw? Must be something in the archives about that one, I guess.

lots do zebra nd it annoys me!

zebra, beavers etc are usually run within a parish but there is really very little god involved. DS2 was allowed to carry the flag at St George's Day without god coming into it at all.

They do have to swear a promise to "serve God and the Queen" or something don't they? Personally we're happy with the God bit, it's the other bit that annoys us but the kids aren't republicans (yet) so they don't object!

Anyway the Queen is the least of our worries as regards Beavers...!!!

That's funny, I'm a Yank and I don't mind the Queenie bit.

DS1 did not want to do anything - spent alot of time dragging him to things which he did not enjoy - I was fraught- he was fraught we were all miserable so we stopped.

Now he is 9 he is happy to do cubs - plus short term courses for children at our local college -e.g he is doing pottery for the next 11 weeks. Has also done one term of cookery, french and art. Maybe he will do spanish next term. He does not like to feel he is going to be doing the same thing for ever

So see if youtr local college runs courses for children at weekends - ours runs courses in the holidays as well for 1/2 days

Plus the belief thing - my father in law is a cub leader - he tells the cubs they can believe in anything as long as it is a belief - e.g believe in the wardrobe if thats what you want to. Don't think this is the official line - but it is what I told mine

Hiya,

Lisalisa - the Scout Association have a website at \link{http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/index.php}
where you can fill in a form with your contact details and they'll let you know the details of your nearest unit. The form for the beaver section is at \link{http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/6to25/beaver/intro.htm}
The Guide Association have a similar form at \link{http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/xq/asp/sectionID.85/navLevel1.1/navLevel2.0/qx/new/join/article.asp}, or you can cal 0800 1 69 59 01.
Hope this helps.

I'm not very good at links, but if you copy and paste the bit between the curly brackets {} into your web browser, you'll get there!

Brownies have to swear to "love my God" which could be any God, not just Christian - my little one says she swears to the Christian God and big one says she swears to The Big Bang theory!!!But we push the "help other people side" more - I think any group that encourages kids to think beyond themselves is brilliant - and "religious" groups like brownies and Scouts encourage ethics and moral codes that you don't get in things like youth groups or play centres - that's why we atheists let our children go to Brownies; sorry if it annoys you, Cod.

My dd aged 5 does nothing. She's tired after school and likes to be home playing or looking at books or riding a bike our playing in the garden. Sometimes she has play dates with friends. She's just started asking for ballet lessons, though, so we may try her out on those this spring. I think pushing kids to do things does more harm then good - some are ready and others aren't.

I can't believe all you people have 5 yr old children who are tired after school - my 5.5 is NEVER tired - and I don't know where he gets his energy from - he only eats enough to keep a cat going (I have a cat as well)

Batters, your dd can start Brownies at age 7, after Rainbows. My dd joined Brownies a year ago and has the best time there. They also do fantastic activities in the school hols like trips to the theatre, theme parks, etc.

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Sorry for butting in so far into the conversation. But,Lisalisa, what sorts of things do they do know? I was a Brownie in the states and just assumed that DD would do it here in England when she's old enough (she's not even two yet so we have a while!). But, what do they do now a days?

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ds's Beavers pack takes girls too . They seem to be a lot more outdoorsy IYSWIM.

round here the Woodcraft folk is quite popular as an alternative to the beavers/brownies especially with non-religious parents. does anyone know much about them? I was a very keen brownie/guide etc but quite like the sound of the woodcraft folk for my dds - doesn't it have a non-royalist, non-religious, non-military ethos? and it's unisex I think.

Despite being practising Christians we would still prefer Woodcraft Folk to Brownies etc for our children Fennel...but coverage is patchy in the UK. I have heard very positive reports of WF as an activity for children.
A bit leery of Scouting Movement in my area after a fairly senior adult got a substantial prison sentence for child abuse recently and yes I do know there are loads of wonderful pukka Scouting volunteers nationally.

My DD goes to ballet on Saturday for an hour (and loves it) and Rainbows (mini-Brownies, aged 5-7) for an hour on a Monday after school. That'll do for now I think. There is a girl in her class that goes to a class practically every night after school (aged 6 BTW) and her mum moans that they never get time to do the spellings the school sets. Er??? Something has to give and it isn't spellings!!!

marina, re: local scouts. Great shame, that. It did make me seriously wonder

IME it's the leaders at local troup level that have the most influence over the children. We don't have much contact with the upper echelons of leadership. When ds goes on large group activities, I am always struck by how many leaders and helpers there are in proportion to children.

I have two friends who are very active woodcraft folk. Have been all their lives. It's a shame that coverage is so patchy around here. Music, creative crafts, camping, environmental awarenss and international friendship seem to be the important elements. Reassuringly, the movement seems to attract people of all ages, so children don't leave when they become teenagers. I have heard the week long camps can be wildly fun If you want more info, drop me a line.