Hoping for advice about activities for 3.5 DD

[loisin]

Dear mumsnetters,

This is my first post and I hope you won't think it ridiculous.

I am mum to a bright and energetic 3.5 year old girl. She attends a nursery for 2.5 hours a day for 5 days a week, and spends most of it playing with dolls, painting and singing (all normal as you would expect)

She has just started a 1 hour Stagecoach class on a Saturday, which she loves (atm)

I would like to expose her to more activities so we can find out what she enjoys, but I want make sure I am not overloading her either.

At the moment I am considering Gymnastics on a Monday morning before nursery and the Ballet on a Tuesday evening (both 45mins - 1 hour)

Would this be too much given her age? Would it be better waiting until she was a bit older? Would I be wasting my money?

Sorry for all the questions, but I have no experience with older children at all and would appreciate some guidance.

Thanks

loisin

It doesn't sound too much to me, as long as the activities are spaced out with time to have some 'down time' before or after nursery. If nursery's in the afternoon, I think a morning activity should be fine, as long as you're not rushing to get her home, changed, fed and out again to nursery. Ballet after nursery should be fine too, as long as it's not to late into thee evening.

My DD started ballet at the same age and really enjoyed it. As long as she's enjoying it and as long as she has plenty of time to have lots of 'free play' during the week as well, you should be fine.

Hi culturemulcher

Thanks for the reply, I do appreciate it. My instinct is that it is fine, but you do read things that say such activities before the age of 4-5 are a bit of a waste. And when she is 5 there are other things I want her to start trying, like music and horseriding.

loisin

My Dd's did stuff like this at her age, also swimming, and a singing class, and thinking about it, a gym type class. They both enjoyed what they were doing, but I would have given any up in a heart beat if they had said they were as bored (as me) with what they did!
They are just as busy now (6 and 8), but with different things, and they chose to give up the ballet, but am glad they did it for the time they did.
As culture says, as long as there is real downtime when they need it, and it does not become an issue...go for it!

sp!