Esther Rantzen thinks that children don't have enough time to 'just play' - how often do yours 'just play'?

[Enid]

Mine muck about around the house and garden every day after school (7 year old finishes at 3, 4 year old finishes at 1.30), except Tuesdays (7 year old - riding) and Fridays (both ballet, 7 year old swimming). Saturday mornings the 4 year old goes swimming and the 7 year old sees her reading tutor. No other organised activities except playdates.

Mine were "just playing" before bedtime as they usually do.

Apart from football on a monday after school (to be joined with swimming lessons after the summer holidays) the only organisation of their time is me taking them to play parks if the weather is nice.

Mine play outside in the street-like the old days
Roller skating,hide and seek and drawing hop skotch and more with chalk.
i feel veryluky

oops very very LUCKY

bookworm, your dd does ballet and then tap on the same day? Wow. Mine is exhausted after ballet although the couple of times I've been allowed to watch a lesson, I didn't notice her putting herself out!

Mine do a fair amount. Every week dd1 (7) does ballet, woodcraft folk, swimming class, maypole dancing club, recorder lesson and sewing club. dd2 (5) does ballet, swimming, maypole and recorders.

But most of these (ballet, maypole, sewing) are after school clubs at school, so it's just an extra 40mins or so added onto the school day. And recorder class is instead of Phonics lessons, in the school day.

They want to do these things, it's not that we particularly push it.

oh yes dd1 does sewing club

its at lunchtime - god I love it she made me a pincushion and a little needle book for mothers day [bless]

It depends on the child too. Some want to be home early and some are happy to be out doing lots of after school things at school. I was amazed and stuck in traffic at 3.15 locally today. My 8 year olds still had nearly another 60 minutes of school even without school hobbies/clubs and the streets were full of state school secondary pupils released at 3.15pm. So so early.