What 'activities' do your DC's do each week?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

I'm just curious to see what other people do with their kids. My DS's (1 & 3 years old) go to a 'Jo Jingles' music group once a week but other than that we don't do 'organised activities'. The boys love going to Ikea with me, going to the park, playing at home, visiting people, going out for lunch etc and they are at nursery 3 days a week so get loads of stimulation there.

Loads of folk I know though send their kids to 3 or 4 paid classes each week though like swimming, football, gymnastics etc.

What do others do? I'm wondering what the 'norm' is...

ds is 4 and does swimming and a pre-school gymnastics class. He is at nursery 5 mornings per week

dd is 7 and does swimming, gymnastics and an athletics thing. She is at school.

My DD is 1 and she goes to a rhythm time class once a week. She also has three days a week with a CM and I think they sometimes go to a stay and play type thing with music and songs, but other than that we do nothing and it suits us that way :)

DS is 5 next month, he does swimming half hour a week (just started) name's down for gymnastics, also goes climbing with DP once a week, but it's not classes or anything and hopefully will start Jujitsu in the next few weeks. atm we're trying to tire him out as he's so much energy.

Dd has just turned 4, she goes to nursery 3 afternoons a week.

Extra activities that we pay for are ballet once a week and swimming lessons on a Saturday.

DS is 3 and in nursery for 3 full days a week. He goes to RugbyTots and swimming lessons. Though both will probably stop when I get made redundant.

DDs are 2.9 and 7 months, I take them both to a music class once a week and we sometimes go to the free library rhyme time. DD1 is in preschool 3 mornings so I figure she gets to do lots of stuff there.

When DD1 was a baby we did everything, but I think that was more for me than her. We have lots of mum friends now, so they get to mix with other kids that way and it's free

DD is 2.7 and goes with me to a singing thing at a children's centre (free) on Mondays, a stay-and-play toy library session at another session on Tuesdays (£1), a big rowdy playgroup with her granny on Wednesdays (£1.50, includes a drink!), DH looks after her on Thursdays and they do all sorts of unscheduled things, and then another playgroup with him on Fridays (£1).

As she doesn't go to any formal childcare we want her to do lots of things with other children. But we still have loads of time with her just mucking about / doing the shopping / going to the library/ going for a walk / doing chores / visiting friends with children or having friends over etc etc.

My dd does a music group £3.75 per week and I am thinking of starting at preschool gym class £3

My ds (5) is going to start scouts from September. He is so tired after school, that I think doing activities on top would be too much for him.

I looked into swimming classes for them, but the prices around here are hair raising.

DD and I go running four/five evenings a week, we go swimming at least once a week, we bake, go shopping, play on the Wii often.

I take her dance class once a week, more often if it is close to competitions.

Less frequently, we go ice skating, horse riding, sailing, skiing.

Went to start piano lessons together if I can find the time

Dses 1 and 2 (10 and 8) go to Cubs once each week, DS1 goes to football once each week, Ds2 is hopefully starting guitar lessons soon, and poor old Ds3 (3) just has nursery and home.
There's only so much activity one family can take.

We go to a music and movement session called Little BUbbles which my daughters love! Apart from that we don't do anything else paid- just meet up with friends and their kids, go to play groups, the museum, park, shopping and crafts at home.
I blog about the activities that we do together here:
theimaginationtree.blogspot.com/
It keeps me sane! (nearly!)
Anna

Mine are 6 and 8 and have now dropped their swimming lessons which were once a week - they are both good swimmers now and do it at school.

This has freed them up for other activities so they both now do karate one night a week and the older son has football training on a Friday night and a match on a Saturday.

However, this is all asked for by them and I would never sign them up for anything if they didn't ask. I like them to have time to do their own thing - when they were little we didn't do anything structured really.

I am very tight and refused to pay for things that we could do quite happily for free at home!!

DD is 2.5 and DS 9 months, DD does gymnastics class and ballet and a big toddler group one morning. DS obviously comes along to these things too!

I'm sure that other people will disagree with me but when my DD was at pre-school I felt like anything 'instuction' based was best left till she was school-age and before then wasn't really fair on her or the teachers!
I think they get loads of enjoyment from cheapy toddler/music/playgroups plus the other things you have listed, visiting friends etc.
We kind of did similar music time/toddler group to meet other mums. Plus she went to nursery where they had baby-yoga sessions weekly.

Now she is in reception she does Ballet on a saturday morning and swimming lessons after school once a week. She is making noises about going to Rainbows but will leave that for now I think.

Does she hate me for not paying for her to go to these earlier........No
Are there loads of 2-3 year olds at these groups that are miles better at dancing/swimming than her..........No

P.s DS has just turned 2, he is at nursery and his football 'instruction' comes from his Dad in the garden and I take him to the tots swimming session once a fortnight. Thats enough for him as he is still a baby

DD1 who is 5.10 does a dance class on Saturday morning and an hour football midweek. DD2 is 2.5 and doesn't do anything yet although she is in nursery 5 mornings a week. She already wants to dance like her sister.

Mine (3.7 and 1.5) have never done any paid-for activities. DD is now at preschool every day and gets all her wiggles out there!

Basically we don't have much spare money, and I don't like the idea of signing up for a whole term - with 2 DCs you never know if you'll get there every week. We don't have a car so our options are limited anyway.

I am partway through a 6 week intensive baby signing course with DS (which I used my birthday money for!) but that's more for the adults really, the kids just play while we learn.

I am hoping to start an activity or two (ballet, football, karate, swimming etc) when DD starts reception, I figured then her time is much more structured and sit-downy than it is now, so extra-curricular activities will be more beneficial. But heaven knows if we will afford them.

It sucks, there is SO much pressure on (around here at least) to do lots of Stuff. Seriously, the looks I get from some (otherwise lovely) mums, when I tell them we don't do these things... A mix of and and and a rather patronising :(

FFS!