Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

Are you making your children tired with all these activities????

36 replies

Redwood · 22/11/2008 18:43

My dd is nearly six and does no after school activities, she has homework every night and can't imagine how she would fit it all in and still be in bed bt 7.30? What do your dc's do and what time is bedtime? Love to be convinced activities are a good idea as at moment we are loving our free flowing weekends......Go on convince me

OP posts:
squeakypop · 22/11/2008 19:36

We haven't done many activities with our DCs. My 6 year old right now does Rainbows (1 hr per week) and we go to church as a family, so she does Sunday School.

I know lots of families who do music lessons, ballet, swimming, rainbows/brownies. It really does seem exhausting.

coffeepot · 22/11/2008 20:17

Think it depends on the child to some extent. At 6 my dd did piano, gym, swimming and french club without any problems...but she had very little homework...and was in bed at 7.30. She couldn't have done all that with homework every night as well.

piratecat · 22/11/2008 20:21

my dd would be too tired she is 6. I haven't pushed her into anything. I have asked her if she wishes to have a go at this and that, but she really doesn't feel like it, is the impression i get.
I feel she integrates well in school and out of school, and her head seems to be buzzing enough. It probably depends on the child, as has been said.

lunavix · 22/11/2008 20:22

Ds is in reception. I plan on him starting swimming lessons again after school one day, and doing football for an hour on a sat morning.

DD who is two will be doing swimming during the day and ballet after school one day.

Ds did many many activities at dds age, she's been quite deprived!

tassisssss · 22/11/2008 20:25

Ds is 5 and has football on a Monday 4-5, swimming on a friday 6-6.30pm and a church play date thingy at someone's house alternate Thursdays after school, then church on Sundays. That's enough for us and suits us well for now. I like having empty Saturdays and my ds is in bed at 7pm every night and as soon after that as possible on a Friday after swimming.

UniS · 22/11/2008 22:54

some of us may be trying to tire our children out.... they sleep better or are just nicer humans for having had a good run around and burnt off some energy.

cornsilk · 22/11/2008 22:54

depends on the child, some need them and some don't.

skramble · 22/11/2008 23:03

My DD does loads but she is 9, did do dancing and other stuff when 6. But she managed fine and doesn't have to be up too early. Always kept the weekends free though.

They can get so much out of actvities, but try one thing first and see hows she manages.

islandofsodor · 22/11/2008 23:05

I help run an after school activity for children and around 90% of parents in the 4-7 year old catagory drop them off in a state of hperactivity saying "please tire them out!".

ghosty · 22/11/2008 23:13

OK. DS will be 9 next week. He does a lot of after school activities but it is totally his choice. It's all sport.
Monday is Tennis followed by cricket training
Tuesday is Swimming (I make him do that though, it is important).
Wednesday is Cricket match
Thursday is FREE.
Friday is Tennis.
In the winter he did Tennis on Mondays, swimming AND soccer on Tuesdays, nothing on Wednesdays, Soccer on Thursdays and Tennis on Fridays. Then a Soccer match on Sunday mornings.
He loves it, it keeps him fit. He is very good at sport and his tennis coach asked us to put him in for two lessons a week as he wants him to join a competition squad circuit in the new year.
If I told DS he couldn't do it he would be DEVASTATED.
He goes to bed between 8 and 8.30pm and no matter what he does, he is never asleep before 9pm.
He does 20 minutes homework a night (usually when we come in after school before going to the activity).
He thrives on it all.
However, if he didn't want to do it I wouldn't make him do it. At all.

saadia · 22/11/2008 23:21

My dss (6 and 4) do tennis on Wednesday after school. While this is OK for ds1, ds2 can't really handle it so from Jan they will be going on Saturday mornings. They have swimming on Sunday mornings. Ds1 ws doing football after school on Fridays but I have not signed him up for this over the winter.

They are very happy to come home from school and play with each other. I think once ds2 gets into Year 1 he will be more ready to do after-school activities. Their only homework on weekdays is reading and that doesn't take long.

PhantomOfTheChocolateCakeAvena · 22/11/2008 23:24

ds has clubs at school for half an hour three lunch times a week, cooking class after school every two weeks and goes to a fencing club on saturdays for an hour. I don't think I could cope with any more. He has homework during the week and we sometimes don't get home until 6pm, depending on the traffic.

Cammelia · 23/11/2008 12:26

Dd was never too tired to do her ex-curricular activities at 6: ballet, swimming, Sunday school. It was me who used to get worn out.

skramble · 23/11/2008 22:27

LOL thats true it is me that is exausted

Mon Rugby then drama.
Tue Dancing 3 classes. Drama then Youth Club.
wed Gymnastics then Brownies, I help out too.
Thur off but they see their Dad.
Fri Swimming. Scouts.
Sat occasional club.

Thats 2 kids BTW before you call social services. Hoping to drop 2 actvivites soon.

Surfermum · 23/11/2008 22:34

DD is 5.5 and does Rainbows and Trampolining. And I think that's enough as she does get tired. I wouldn't want her not to do any, and I like her to do one that is exercise. They're pretty soon after school, so we still have time to get her to bed for 7pm. We keep the weekends free to do our own thing at the moment.

LindzDelirium · 28/11/2008 11:06

DD (6) does gym on a Tuesday, Swimming on a Thursday and Dancing Saturday mornings, it only gets exhausting when she has a dance competition or show then there's LOADS of extra practice.

Wallaroo · 28/11/2008 11:09

DD is 5 and does a 30 min swimming lesson on a weds and although she hasn't started yet will be doing Rainbows. That' all, no plans to increase her activities as I think she would find it too much. DS is 3 and does - nothing , we have just moved to the area though!

Planning to take him swimming once a week and maybe find a music group we could both go to.

Hathor · 28/11/2008 11:10

Yes. Am knackered. Children are too.

peanutbutterkid · 29/11/2008 21:56

I have 3 DC, age 4-9. The 2 older DC do one after-school club/week, which is about as low stress on all of us as possible. And that's IT. They really aren't up to doing anything else and school (which is just an ordinary state primary, not much homework). They get their fill of structured time at school.

mimsum · 30/11/2008 22:24

dd is just 6 and does ballet on Weds after school, cycling club on Saturday mornings, 1 hour swimming lesson on Saturday afternoon and swimming club on Sunday afternoon. She has no homework and I aim for her to be in bed by 8 but she's rarely asleep before 8:30. She loves the classes she does, especially swimming, and would be very happy if she could do more but I've told her from now on it'll be one in, one out ...

ds2 is just 9 and also does cycling and swimming on Saturday and will be starting cricket (his passion) next season on Sunday mornings - homework once a week, bedtime half 8 and he has no wish to do anything else, but loves what he does

ds1 is 11 and virtually lives in the pool

IdrisTheDragon · 30/11/2008 22:26

DS is 5 and goes to gym club once a week.

swanriver · 02/12/2008 18:52

I have mixed feelings about it all. In my heart of hearts I feel that taking them to the park after school, (very near, and frequented by schoolfriends) is just
as good as any other social, physical activity I might enrol them in. That said ds1 loves Cubs, and did Beavers before that. Dd goes to Beavers once a week, nothing else. Dd2(6) nothing. He doesn't want to.

We are lucky because school has some afterschool sports for yrs 2-6 until 4.30 once a week. Not synchronised tho.

On Saturdays, we have a very full programme of music, ballet, swimming but it seems like great fun on Saturday, rather than too much. Sometimes ballet is dropped, or swimming according to how tired out each child is.

VoluptuaGoodshag · 12/01/2009 12:53

Oooh just noticed this thread - yay for the non-activists!

Fennel · 12/01/2009 12:57

Yes, my dc (8, 7 and 4) love extra-curricular activities but do get tired if they do too many. They do tend to self-regulate and give some up when they feel tired - so they opt in and out of swimming, drama, sewing club, and other sports clubs each term, which keeps the activities manageable.

We avoid regular weekend classes though. And prioritise those which happen at school directly after school hours, as that is the easiest to fit in. So they do lots of after-school clubs and not very much else.

lisalisa · 12/01/2009 12:58

Redwood - I hav e only read your op but are convinced you are right - at your dd's age.

I have also done all these silly activities - apart from swimming I am convinced they do more harm thaan good. My dd3 aged 5 is very bright and I htought cuold do wiht extra stuff after school. So I dutifully dragged her to ballet and swimming and some other stuff - she enjoyd whilst there but tantrumed near bedtime - she was just too tired with no chill out time. Was terribly hard on me too carting her and osmetimes younger kidds around just to watch her cavort in a leotard for one hour and then have to quickly slot in homelwrk, bed and bath. For waht? Soooooo glad we don't do any of that stuff anymore!