How much out of school stuff do teens do?

[tumpymummy]

DD14 has always done lots of activities outside of school, but over the years this has become less and less. She is now dropping her a dance class leaving her with 1 hour Contemporary a week and 1 hour trampolining. Is this normal for her age? She will be starting GCSEs this year (Y10), but I think it is important she keeps up out of school activities, giving her a chance to destress away from school work. She tells me noone does much anymore at her age. Is this true?

I don't think there is 'a normal'.
There will be dc who do many, many activities and spend hours across a week training for a particular sport or taking part in a particular interest, or even attending several different things, and there will be dc who do nothing at all outside the home.

Because my dd does a lot, then the people she mixes with / her friends are obviously people who do stuff too - that is how she knows most of her friends, by doing sports or hobbies with them.

IME, Ithink it’s quite normal for teens to reduce the activities they do. I have 3 teens, when they were younger they did every activity going - now they’ve dropped it back to one thing each (cricket, football and scouts respectively). Each takes generally two sessions a week.

The rest of the time they do homework, hang out with friends, play on the Xbox and the older two have part time jobs.

Dd upped hers at 14 because that is what she wanted to do for a living. She was doing 3-4 hours each evening all day Saturday and 3 hours Sunday.

Not much in my experience apart from the very sporty kids. My DD is just about to turn 14 and does a drama tech club after school and is about to start an art club in the evenings.

My daughter only does two after-school activities a week, partly because we can't really afford any more and partly because I think she needs some time just to hang out at home and draw, read, hang upside-down from the trapeze in our garden, play games, get bored and make up her own activities etc. She's only junior school age but I think teens need that time too. Especially if they're starting GCSEs, with more homework and coursework.

Dd15 plays hockey five times a week and occasiolly swims. She has singing lessons and does drama class. All at school though so it's easier.

This is where they really start turning into individuals: some develop interests that are best catered for by organised activities, others develop different interests, some destress best in a group, others need time to themselves and away from organising adults. My dd at this age was devoted to her am-dram, even at times when she was too ill to attend school, ds otoh did nothing organised but just hung around with his mates or on his own. Being a bit of an introvert, I really don't think having an organised activity would have helped him to destress at all.

Some of my friends kids still do swimming, football or dance but most don't seem to do anything !

Between school, homework and hours spent gaming, my son thinks he is busy enough. 😂

Mine does none

Mine is nearly 14, has always been a child who likes to be busy and has a group of friends who all have lots of activities. DD1 currently goes to dance and Guides on one evening each, spends most of Saturday doing music, practises her musical instruments for 40ish minutes a day and goes to a couple of after school sports clubs. Last year she did dance twice a week but the second class has been cancelled.

Dd 13

Monday - 1 hour swimming
Tuesday - 45 minutes piano
Wednesday - 1 hour orchestra and 3.5 hours of dance
Thursday - 2 hours swimming
Friday - 1 hour school activity
Saturday - 2 hours orchestra
Sunday - 2 hours of dance

Way too much in my opinion ( and my bank accounts opinion!) but I want it to be her decision what she eventually compromises on 🙄

DS 12

Monday... speech therapy 45 mins
Tuesday... running club. 1 hour
Wednesday... nothing
Thursday...tennis. 2 hours
Friday...nothing ( was swimming)
Saturday... cricket. 1h30
Sunday...rugby 1h30

There's a bit of gaming and watching football on YouTube too.
I imagine we'll be retiring him from rugby after this season and focusing on the cricket and tennis.

DS is 13 (yr9)
Monday- land training 1hr
Tuesday- nothing in winter (open water swimming in summer)
Wednesday- swimming 1.5hr
Thursday- swimming am and pm 2.5hr total
Friday swimming- 2hr
Saturday- nothing (unless competition is on)
Sunday- swimming 1.5hr
Cricket in there as well in summer. Computing club 1 lunchtime a week, homework ‘clubs’ facilitated by school other lunchtimes to help him manage the workload.

DD1 is in Year 9 and does loads.
10-12 hours of dancing (ballet, tap, etc)
4 hours of volunteering on a Saturday
Violin and piano lessons + practice and choir
Orchestras/concerts

Until last year she played hockey too but she had to drop it due to clashes with ballet.
She would do more but I have put a ban on additional activities!

She also has a long school day (8-4)

DS yr does
Tues Hockey 2.5hrs
Friday Tennis 2.5hrs
Sun Hockey match
Monthly hockey development squad & match
Cricket weekly training & match April-Aug.

Mine only does DofE Bronze as her musical activities are curricular at school. School day from around 7.30 until about 8pm/ sometimes later.
This includes, rehearsals, prep as well though.

Definitely not unusual for the amount to drop - my teens have all dropped stuff the past few years.

Last year (y13) DD1 volunteered at Rainbows (1hr) and Brownies (1.5hrs), did two one hour blocks of street dance, and played in the school orchestra and her school’s sixth form netball team. She was also her school’s deputy head girl and had a part time job which gave her 3-15 hours depending on the week (30 in school holidays), but this was still a huge drop from when she was younger - she did cross country, triathlons, diving, rowing, drama...

DD2 is 16 (year 12) and over the years has dropped cross country, drama, netball, gymnastics, triathlon. She now just does dance - CAT scheme (10 hours a week of contemporary and ballet), plus 3 one hour sessions of street dance. She works on the desk/teaching and choreographing at the street dance studio the two nights she’s there as well so it does take up the full evening.

DD3 is 14 (year 10) and dives semi seriously (16 hours a week). Recently dropped a lot too - football, netball, cross country, swimming, trampolining, triathlon.