How many after school activities?

[vanillafudgecake]

DC4 has recently started in reception.

I think I may have got carried away with getting DC involved in after school activities and I am concerned it's too much too soon

DC has 3 after school along with 1 at the weekend

Is 4 a week too many at this age?

I hadn't thought about how tiring and overwhelming the school day is!

Thanks x

My year 3 child year old does 3 a week and the occasional school activity for half term at a time. This is at the upper limit of what she can manage.

I think that’s a lot. We did none in reception aside from a weekend swimming lesson. Now in year 2 she does dance after school and gymnastics in lunch hour. It’s so important for young kids to rest and also play, get to grips with the “homework”.
anything else we do in the half term camps- eg. Recently did tennis in the holidays

Dd is 4 and does 4 activities a week. Ds12 does 5

DH and I were just discussing after school clubs for our Reception child. DS doesn't seem particularly physically tired by school (he was at nursery 8-6 before) but does seem quite mentally exhausted by it at the moment. He seems to need quite a lot of quiet time when he gets back from school. I had planned to sign him up for one after school club but I'm waiting until next term I think. It depends really on how your DC is finding the transition though.

It really depends on the child.

We do two a week, possibly moving to three soon. Five year old in year one.

This is the most he can deal with, but he needs his down time. Other children are different and seem fine with more.

All I know is that my children are grown up now, and if I was going to do it all over again, I'd give them more free time.

Fine if they can handle it. If behaviour starts deteriorating or if sleep is impacted then drop some.

Depends on the child and things like journey time, what the activities are, energy levels. Mine did activities 7 days a week by the end of Reception, which was probably a bit much but she was enjoying them all too much to give anything up. Three were activities on the school site so just finishing an hour later than normal school time, with school staff and pupils so a bit easier than a class in a different location with a completely different set of kids and staff. We know loads of parents whose dc are in after school club for childcare until 6pm (and in breakfast club from 7.30) so it doesn't seem too late compared to that.

Do you have any other children? Remember that they will also want to do stuff, so if rge eldest has loads this can compromise the activities the younger children can do.

Between mine two, there are activities 6 days a week currently... and on the 7th I have my voluntary role in the evening!

In reception year they just had one activity each.

Thanks everyone,

I will continue and see how DC takes to it all whilst settling in with school.

The weekday activities are at school so just an extension of the school day really and they are spending time with people they are already getting to know in a familiar environment.

I can always pull DC out of something if it isn't working out and perhaps revisit it at a later stage if needed

Thanks again x