How Many Clubs do your children do?

[Eesha]

Just curious really, for context I'm a single, working parent and my 2 children do dance, yoga plus a piano lesson at home. They are 5/6. It's all just fun really.

I've recently met someone with three children all under 7 who do at least 5 or 6 each. To be fair, they are also incredibly wealthy and have two parents. But is this the norm?

6 year old does 4 because she really needs exercise to limit the craziness. She does gymnastics, athletics, tennis and violin. School isn't a challenge for her for various reasons. 3 year old does gymnastics, multisport and music. Helps reduce the crazy and he's in half days at nursery. He also loves being upside down...

DD8 is in an elite academy for a sport and trains a few times a week, she also has Brownies and Swimming
DD6 does the same sport as DD but is not in the academy though he has potential. He also has swimming and wants to do football which I'm more than happy for him to do.

Reception kid does swimming and school football

3.5 year old doesn’t do any

Swimming lesson
football (low-key skills session)
guitar (zoom at home)
cubs

this feels enough most of the year. We do blocks of 4/6 weeks ski lessons once or twice a year but couldn’t keep that up every week.

DS9 does swimming, scouts and martial arts
DS7 does swimming, scouts, and school science club - we want to find a sporty activity for him to do too but he’s not been enthused by any yet!

DS 13 does scouts and swimming (2j
DD9 does Cubs, running, football, swimming (4)

Ds9 does football, swimming, boxing and cricket. He will be dropping swimming once he’s passed all his levels and I know he can competently swim. Cricket is summer only.
dd6 does swimming and netball. She’ll do all stars cricket for 8 weeks this summer. She wants to do drama too but can’t fit it in so shell have to wait for a bit.

Swimming with school and karate. DD has enough to do with school and playing without adding on more planned activities.

DD8 does swimming lessons and Brownies, and she used to go to Rainbows.

DS3 goes to toddler group once a week on his day off from preschool, and I'm putting him in swimming lessons when he starts school in Sept.

DS1 - football, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, youth club, school clubs, music clubs, D of E.
DD - Ballet, swimming, jazz, cheer, gymnastics, youth club, Rainbows, Brownies and Guides just starting D of E
DD2 - swimming, cheer, ballet, gymnastics, Rainbows.

It takes a lot of juggling with two FT working parents but we want all 3DC to have the opportunities we did not have growing up. So we have prioritised clubs.

Aged 3 and 5 and both do 3 activities each plus a charity-led cultural activity.
Fortunately both have specialist teachers for activities at school and nursery (drama, sports, yoga, languages etc) otherwise would add Stagecoach/drama type activity in.
I work PT and facilitate all the activities

Dance
Brownies
Swimming
Music lessons

During school/Wrap around:

Gym
Choir
Art

DD is 8.

DS1 (9yo) Cubs, cricket, Saber combat and school running club
DS2 (7yo) Beavers and Saber combat

DS1 (9) does cricket, Cubs and swimming outside of school (three other lunchtime clubs and a musical instrument in school).

DS2 (6) does cricket, Beavers and swimming and that’s plenty to my mind.

My little girl is 4 and in Reception: she does ballet one night and swimming on Saturday morning. My 18 month old just does the swimming lesson on Saturday after my daughter.

mine also do none as they don't want too. but mine do play out with the neighbourhood children quite a lot so are happy and occupied doing exactly what they want just as I did as a child. I'm mid 40s and don't remember all these clubs being a thing when I was a kid. I hate all this pressure and expectation nowadays that your kids should be doing this club and that club its an awful lot of pressure on parents and kids.

DD10 does chess and netball club in school; and out of school does art club, clarinet, cubs, band, tennis x 2, swimming, aikido. It's a lot but they're all clubs she wants to do.

DS does scouts, piano and swimming. He also has an hour with out of school tutor once a week.
DD does Brownies, piano, pony club/riding, ballet, football and swimming. She recently gave up gymnastics much to my great relief!
I think it sounds like you’re doing a great job OP. Despite the fact that my DC do quite a few activities I don’t think it’s essential. In our case it’s pushed by DD because that’s the kind of person she is, my DS is much more laid back and could take it or leave it. She wants to take up ice skating and athletics too!! I’ve said a firm ‘no’ for now! I have a husband but he works long hours so all the ferrying back and forth is left to me. It’s exhausting!

@snowgirl1

That’s more clubs than days of the week!! Seems mad

One does music class and fencing class.

Another does music class and practices judo.

Younger two go to music class. Littlest goes to gymnastics class.

Two classes a week is ample. They need time to play with their friends too.

3 kids, 2 parents

They go out to swimming, a sport, music and girlguiding each week. The eldest has tutoring from home

I used to limit it to 2 so that my childminder wasn't stuck trailing around and younger children weren't trapped in the car.my youngest did 3 as he was on his own a lot more and didn't have a sibling of similar age to play with after school.

My ds would hate to do any clubs after school as he wants to relax when he gets home, he is only young I think too many kids go to clubs after school when they don't want.

DD age 3 goes to dance class once a week. Would like to take her to swimming lessons too. Personally it's enough for her, sometimes a struggle to get her to class but she loves it when she's there.

1 club free at DS school and swimming once a week what I pay. Its enough as we have breakfast club 4x a week so weekdays we are busy.