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?

One of the main attractions for my dd about Brownies is that its all-girls (although I believe that boys can join and girls can be cubs/scouts nowadays).

Uwila

I think it all depends on the Brown Owl - re: how much activity a pack does etc.

Our Pack is great - the Brown Owl is excellent and takes them out very regularly, particularly in the warmer months, when they end up going out for every meeting.

DD1 is 9 and went on her first "Brownie Camp" last Easter and had a brilliant time. She's on the list to go to a Camp later in the year for the older Brownies - further afield and more of an "outward bound" type thing.

However, I do know of Packs locally that don't seem to do half as much.

This is getting me down too, Zebra! My dd (5) does nothing organised, either. After school, weather permitting, she plays with her friends in the adjacent park and then walks home, usually with a local friend who may or may not come to play for an hour or so.

She is a strong, energetic, independent child who needs plenty of fresh air and exercise and, providing she gets this, I see no need for further "activities", ,particulalrly at this age. I remember having a horror of anything organised, including Sunday School, which was non-negotiable.

I think that parents are sometimes afraid to let their children just "be" as they are afraid of looking inadequate amongst their school gate peers. Furthermore, I don't see the point in spending hard-earned money on "activities" that don't add value to children's lives. I believe children develop physical and social skills in the park, in the street and even in the Library. And it's all free! I can't see how children who spend their lives being chauffered from one so-called life enhancing activity to another learn anything about real life and how to cope with boredom.