Which after-school activity?

[Creole]

Hi all,

Which after-school activity would you recommend for a boisterous, non-stop talking 4.9 years old boy in reception?

I was thinking of drama groups to help him be an effective communicator i.e. learning to listen as well.
Also thinking of some sports like rugby (he likes football, but I think he?s too young).

I don?t want him doing too many, just 1 group at a time after school.

Any advice/opinions great fully received.

drama or music/singing group sounds good ( have 3 ds's) we were going to do stagecoach with my ds1 but found it very expensive and lots of driving. I am a little cautious after we tried tae kwon do with ds1 (5) who didn't want to go after the first 2 sessions (glad I found this out as it was £65 registration and £22 a month) so its always worth asking for taster sessions that are free first before you sign up for anything - plus my ds1 was tired after school. after much deliberation the only thing we now do is swimming after discussing with another mum who had a daughter said to me: 'ballet isn't going to save her life'.

trampolining!!!!

What about gym?
Physical co-ordination, listening to instructions and burning off energy.

bump!

Swimming? Always a good thing to know how to do, and never affected by bad weather!

Yeah I think a drama group would be good for him and maybe swimming lessons too! I would leave the contact sports until maybe 51/2 when they start to realise game play and rules of sports, and on the plus side drama and swimming lessons are not competitive.

martial arts, or maybe he is still a bit young?
Drama and dance are excellent choices.

capoeira - it's a combination of dance and martial arts and is fantastico for boisterous boys and girls all the grace and limberness of dancing and all the fighting cred of martial arts..................

capoeira sprang to my mind too. looks like karate (etc) but is actaully dancing...u might have seen it on the bbc links a while ago with the 2 men dressed in white

ditto for drama or swimming.

My DS (4.3) does Stagecoach and loves it - it's after school on a Friday and he still somehow has energy for it. I am going to sign him up for swimming lessons next. Capoeira sounds interesting - I must look into it.

DS2 (4y3m and very tired in reception ) does swimming - fortunately on a Monday so he still has some energy - which he loves, and karate on a Friday, which he is really only doing coz his big brother is. Don't know how much he enjoys it, but it is good for discipline and at the early stages non-competitive.

Azure, would you mind telling me which Stagecoach your ds attends. I would like to speak to someone running a Friday school as most are on a Saturday.

Have you tried asking him what he would like to do? Whatever you decide on will require some commitment from him. He will need to be willing to go each week without a fuss, get changed, listen to instructions, play by the rules and not misbehave. You will be paying, sometimes for a long time in advance. If he decides he really doesn't want to do the activity you have paid in advance for, this will put some strain on family life - there's an interesting thread on ballet lessons at the moment.

If he's interested in football, why not see if there is some sort of football class in your area for children of his age. At my sons' primary school they teach football skills (concentrating on dribbling rather than tackling!) in PE to that age group, and I am aware of a football club for young children in a local park, so it is conceivable there may be a class out there somewhere. Alternatively, why not arrange a meet-up with some friends in a park for an informal kick-about.

I went to far more after school activities with ds1 than I did with ds2 and ds3 (partly through having more time when ds1 was that age, partly because ds2 was very rebellious), and I don't think ds2 and ds3 have suffered as a consequence of going to fewer activities.

Really good advice.

Yes, I did ask him what he wanted to do and he wants to play football.
Football is not offered at reception and I really do not know any parents with boys to organise something.

The idea of drama sounds good for his speaking and listening skills, so I will find out about that and then when he's a bit older we will try football.

I'm not sure about karate at this age, he is really boisterous and may act out what he has learnt in the playground.

Julienetmum, DS1's at Stagecoach Chiswick.

DS1 was a very lively 5 year old when he started karate. I was totally against it as, like you, I thought it would encourage him to try it out in the playground. I couldn't have been more wrong - it was all about discipline and self-control and turned out to be a very good way of channelling his energy. It really helped with his concentration as well. Rugby is great for boys, but I would say your DS is too young to start. He would probably be able for it next season if your local club has a good minis section. DS1 started when he was 6 or 7. He's now 12 and it's the passion of his life - he gave up karate a couple of years ago.

a sporty one
swimming or football

Beavers? (Sorry, the name always secretly amuses me!) Sometimes there's a bit of a waiting list in some areas. Gives a good foot in the door for cubs if he likes that sort of thing. My ds is too young just yet, but I have his name down.

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Hi all, I teach Capoeira for kids 5-11 y.o (Dorset and Hampshire area) and due to the fact that it involves a mix of martial arts, dance, acrobatics, music, singing, I think it's an activity that can appeal to children with very diverse personalities!