Please come and judge my kids' timetables - all comments welcome!

[tortoiseSHELL]

Would be interested to know what you think of my kids' activities, and whether you think there's something they SHOULD be doing, or if they're doing too much. Also, what are your kids' timetables like?

Ds1 is 6 and dd 4, so they both have school.

Extras are as follows....

MONDAY

Ds1 - violin, lessons in schooltime.

TUESDAY

After school - ds1 - gymastics for 3/4 hour. I take dd to park while he's there, or she might do homework once she starts getting it (she's only reception, but the homework kicks in quite quickly).

WEDNESDAY

Dd - gymnastics
Ds1 - swimming lesson

THURSDAY

Ds1 - plays with friend

FRIDAY

no extras

SATURDAY

Dd - swimming lesson

SUNDAY
Church

DOes that seem a good balance? Are they missing out by not doing extra KUMON maths? Or are they going to be desperately tired over 'activitised' children.

I think it sounds enough and well balanced. Some parents feel they have to cram their kids every waking minute with an activity or being sociable, they sometimes just like to chill out at home or be with mum. They someimes have a noisy or busy day at school and don't want or need anything after school.

thanks susue! Any more comments, or examples of timetables?

ok mine:

ds is 8, dd1 is 6 and dd2 is 4

Monday
ds - chess (after school club)

Tues
nothing

Weds
nothing

Thursday
nothing

Friday
ds art after school club

Sat
all swimming (am
ds and dd1 piano

Sunday
alternate weeks - church/riding

ds also learns clarinet at school
dd1 also learns violin at school (dd1 can't do after school clubs until next year).
dd2 doesn't do ballet or gym or anything extra.
Maybe once a week ds or dd1 have a friend back after school.

I'm slightly worried that we don't do enough - dd1 did do ballet, but it became a chore forcing her to go. I am thinking about woodcraft folk for the older 2.

Definitely no Kumon maths, they are only little!
But looks fine to me

my dd is 5.5 and she does ballet/ tap on a Friday evening, total 90 mins

and swimming on a Sunday morning- lesson 30 mins another 15 mins or so splashing about

I think that is quite enough!

DS is just 6, just starting Yr 2

Monday - french club 45 mins after school
Wednesday - art and craft after-school club, for this term only (they have to take it in turns to have a place)

That's IT!

Might go ot a friend's one evening, or have one to tea, but otherwise, that's it!

I think it's enough for him - and me. There are so many other thngs we need to do, like school projects, homework (sometimes) reading, etc. Last term he did a keyboard class one evening, but it all wore him out. I would like to introduce a swimmimg lesson at the w/e but can't bear to have our w/es tied up on a regular basis.

Thanks - that's really interesting, 2-3 activities seems to be the norm, which is pretty well what my kids do. Thanks!

Monday: DD gymnastics

Tuesday: DD swimming

Wednesday: DS2 brass band

Thursday: oh god... DD drama, ds2 choir at school, ds2 brass lesson 15 miles away, ds1 scouts

Friday: collapse in heap with vat of wine

Saturday: probably still collapsed

Sunday: DS2 swimming lesson

I knew it was too much even before I typed it all out. Want the holidays back now.

Mine are 6 and 3 and I work Tues-Thurs when DD is in day nursery and DS is with childminder. This is our schedule:

Mon - DS beavers
Tues - DS swimming
Weds - DS football
Fri am - DD swimming
Sat am - DD dancing

We usually have something going on with friends on a Friday after school. And DS often plays with a friend on Saturday morning while their little sisters are at dancing.

After school clubs have not yet been arranged but if DS wants to do one on Tues-Thurs I will be happy with this.

tortoise i think that sounds like a good balance extra interests are great

I have 2 at school (DS1 and DD) and 2 at home (DS2 and DS3) we do as follows:

Monday
DS1 - Football

Tuesday
DD - Ballet

Wednesday and Thursday
Kept free for family/homework time

Friday
usually a play date where we all go or have friends to us

Saturday
DS1 and DD - Swimming Lessons

Sunday
Bugger All

I also take DS2 and DS3 to a number of playgroups/pre-school and music lessons through the week.... no wonder i'm always tired

My dd2 is DEFINITELY over activitised (good word that). She is a swimming fanatic and swims 5 times a week with a club as well as learning an instrument and being in an orchestra. She also has homework and MSN to keep up to date with (she is bit older than others on the thread). It is difficult and is only possible because my other dd does nothing!

I am looking forward to the day she says she is fed up with swimming, but I don't think it is going to come any time soon.

figroll- I sympathise with the swimming! My two aren't giving up yet either. I console myself that it is brilliant exercise - very healthy to train hard right through puperty and I guess there's far worse things they might be up to. I think when real swimmers do give up though there's a tendency to put on loads of weight as they often carry on eating as before.

Tortoiseshell, It looks OK to me, but I think what's right depends to a degree on the child; if they're getting tired & grumpy then rethink. Also if they have a busy termtime schedule then make sure they get plenty of time to chill in the hols.

I have four kids so am quite busy.........

monday n4 =9yrs gospel choir then brownies

tuesday nothing so far!!!

wednesday n1 =15yrs guitar lesson

thursday n4=9yrs netball/math tutor

friday n4=9yrs ballet /tap , children ns 1 & 2 crusaders club

saturday n3=11yrs football club n2=14yrs bass guitar lessons

sunday ns1-3 chapel

Will have to add drama group for all four coming up soon. Which will be interesting............................

DD (5 and in Y1) does so little compared to some on MN!

Monday:

Tuesday: after school club (I work later this day), wanted to do cookery club but no places available yet

Wednesday: swimming lesson at 4:15-4:55

Thursday: Friday: play date - I pick up DD's best friend from another school, who comes back with me and DD to play/dinner

Weekend: nothing organised, weekends are family time here and we are often away/busy too so not wnat to plan anything in case

Monday/Thursday will be time for play dates, possibly go to my gym to swim after school or just back home to do nothing!

We are currently waiting to hear back from a new local soft play about their HSM dance class, starting up in October.

Had to tell Rainbows she can't go as it clashes with new swimming lesson time.

oooo one of those threads I feel inexorably drawn to post on.

dd1 age 7

Monday - nada
Tuesday - nowt
Wednesday - choir (after school club)
Thursday - french club (lunchtime at school) and swimming
Friday - chess (after school club) and piano (at home, though I think I'm fighting a loosing battle on this one)

dd2 age 5

Monday - nothing
Tuesday - dancing (after school club)
Wednesday - rien
Thursday - French Club
Friday - swimming

weekends we all go swimming, climbing or both

Thankfully have only got 1 dd as her timetable is exhausting:

Mon: Hockey
Tue: Netball & guitar lessons
Wed: dance & football training
Thur: Rugby
Fri: Art club & football training
Sat: Football training
Sun: Football matches/tournaments every other week

PLUS a shedload of homework (year 7). And she is a member of 2 football squads, each has 2 kits, plus all the sundry boots and shinpads. And the other elements of her social life, such as friends round to tea, cinema visits, dry slope skiing and running. And when we are in the house together when she hasn't got activities/homework she is MSNing the whole world!

Bless her though, she wants to be a chef when she grows up so we do a lot of cooking together, which is probably our only quality time at the moment.

My dd is 11 and has just started secondary school, so her schedule is up in the air at the moment, but in year 6, this is what her week looked like;
MONDAY - music club after school, home to tea with friend then trampolining.
TUESDAY - choir after school
WEDNESDAY- Clarinet lesson then trampolining
THURSDAY- Trampolining
FRIDAY Ballet, tap and jazz followed by Scouts
SATURDAY-Riding
Every 4th Sunday more trampolining.
Now THAT"S ofer-activised!!!!!

DS plays football on a Saturday morning, gors to trampolining on Tuesdays, and says a polite but firm "No thank you" if anybody suggests anything else!

I feel exhausted just looking at that kitty! but it's great that she's so into football but still finds some time for other things.

Hatwoman - She is obsessed with footie, I have no idea where that came from, or her energy for all this stuff. I was the type of child who just read a book or watched Grange Hill when i was a kid, so I am kind of glad she hasn't inherited my laziness!

Watching football tournaments in the pouring rain is getting to be a bore, though!

Ds is only just four, in nursery attached to the primary where he will be in reception in Jan. He's a bit tired atm, probably adjusting to being back at school.

He just does Yogabugs on Weds and Music on Sat morning. And one or two playdates in the week - this week have one on Friday after nursery (so 11.30 through lunch). Try not to make it more than two playdates as it gets a bit knackering for me - at this age in his group of friends parents are still staying for playdates and I have to do the chores some time.

Unless he really, really, really gets into after school activities when he's older I will try to keep it to one or two - they need some time to relax and entertain themselves.