How much should I let my DD do?

[ketal]

My DD has just turned 5 and is in reception. Currently, she does two hobbies - Gym 45 mins a week and Ballet / Tap one hour a week, and we have been happy with that.

However, I have just had a letter home from Gymnastics stating that she has been chosen to do extra "competition" classes in gymnastics, with a view to developing her to "competing at county level" depending on how good she gets. They now want her to train 3 hours a week (two lessons). I'm not sure whether to let her do these extra classes.

On the 'go for it side', she has settled in at reception very easily with no tiredness issues at all. She also finds school very easy, so maybe a bit of challenge would be good for her? I also think that if they some glimmer of talent, we ought to go for it, particularly as she wants to do these extra classes.

On the other hand, I worry that this is too much for a little girl who only turned 5 this month. 3 hours of training a week, seems one hell of a lot to me. Also, there's so many hobbies she hasn't yet tried and enjoyed - I've always let her try everything, I think hobbies at 5 should be about having fun, it seems so young to be getting serious?

So what would you do? Would you let your DD do this? And if so, would you let them keep on the ballet and tap? (She would be devasted if I made her stop!) Also, I had promised she could re-start swimming classes in January, but now I'm not too sure on that either?

So please, advice welcome as I'm in a quandry!

3 hours of gymnastics seems a lot at this age. I have purposly avoided anything too competative. My DD did 1 hr gymnatis and 2 hours dance.

She is now 9 and still does 1 hr gymnastics, she could join another club and do loads of competitions but I don't think she needs to. They do one basic comp a year.

Dancing is now up to 3 hours on one night and 2 dance shows a year no competitions, half hour swimming, and 1 hour brownies.

I think its a good mix of activities and don't think she needs to specialise.

My dd is the same age and just started comp classes with her dance school which means that in total she is doing four hours a week and she seems to cope but she is a v v hyper child and needs to be stimulated to burn off all her extra energy.

I don't think it's so much the hours she puts in but the sort of coaching it is. Can you go along and have a look? My dd was the same - she was asked to join the gym squad at 6. She started and I went to watch, and it was a completely different atmosphere and ethos to her "normal" class - much less fun, more intense, more demanding and serious - coaches very unsmiling and strict. And some of them were the same coaches that did her normal class - they seemed to adopt a different persona with "the elite"! I wasn't surprised when she didn't want to go any more!

Remember, even if she is very good, the chances of her making County level or higher are very small indeed - and she has to want to very much. And if she does look like getting there, 3 hours a week is only the beginning!

Thats what I decided really that she is not going to be a world class gymnast so we are keeping it fairly fun.

She is really into her dance but we are still taking it fairly easy, she wants to go to a specialised dance secondary school and teach dance after a bit of touring (bless she is only 9), I see this as more of a possibility. I checked the admission for the school and they are not looking for high grades in everytype of dance known to man they will audition and look for potential. So if she still wants to try she can audition and they can she if she has the natural talent, rather than doing loads just now to prep her.

Thank you for all your good advice. We have decided to let her try the classes, but she does not know what they are, so if she doesn't enjoy them we are just going to pull her out and put her back in mainstream classes.

I would give it a go.

I actually don't think 3 hours a week is excessive at the age of 5.

My dd started gymnastics when she was 5 and was moved up to the next squad when she had just turned 6 - she did 4.5 hours (3 x 1.5 sessions) which she loved. If she had found it too much then I would have dropped her back down, I would never have known how she would cope if I hadn't let her have a go.

My 5 yo is in the beginners class and practically begs her coach to allow her to move up

I have friends who dc do artistic gymnastics and her little dd was doing around 15 hours of gymnastics when she was only 5 yo - now thats excessive!