After school activities

[reallyslummymummy]

DS1 starting reception in September. I want him to keep up his current after school activities and maybe let him try something new. So, he will be doing 3 (swimming, acting and football).

However, quite a few people have said he will be really tired when he starts. So just out of curiosity how many after school activities do your children do?

My daughter was in Reception last year, and did swimming, gymnastics and ballet in her first two terms, added Rainbows after Easter. She was very tired (but not falling asleep tired IYSWIM) for the first term, then she seemed to adjust. However, part of that may have been to do with food - she wasn't a very good eater, and probably wasn't getting enough iron/vitamins etc, she started having school dinners after Christmas and eats much better now, so that may well have had an impact both on her tiredness in the first term and her improvement afterwards.

Ds is starting reception and will be doing horse riding, football and swimming. I'm hoping he'll be ok with these...

My DC1 was exhausted. We started some after-school activities in the summer term, which was when the school began promoting them.

I had read that DC got tired when they started school, so I stopped DDs afterschool activities for the first term. She kept one hobby (gymnastics). However, I soon found she was bouncing off the walls after school and wasn't tired at all, so I signed her back up for everything!

By the Christmas, she was put into gym squad, and so trained 3 hours of gym (2 x 1.5 hr sessions after school) + ballet + swimming with no tiredness at all.

Every child is different, just because other people's children get tired, doesn't mean yours will. You have to make a decision on your child - not other people's!

DD continued her swimming when she started school but nothing else for the first term. As she was also in after-school care I wanted her to have at least one afternoon to just do nothing.

After Christmas she started gymnastic and you could see that she wanted and needed an opportunity to let off steam.

No activities in the first term, then swimming one evening a week.

The school has lots of before and after school activities - but these aren't available to reception children.

I'd heard the same so cut right back on her after school activities. Wasn't a good move though as she wasn't tired at all so I wish I hadn't. We started everything back up again when she went into Yr with no problems at all.

my daughter only does 1 thing after school (since October of Reception she goes to Rainbows, now going into yr1)

She could cope with more definitely but I found it hard work getting younger sibling in and out of the house to collect her and then back home and then out to take her to something and then back home and then out to collect her and then back home whilst trying to cook dinner and fit in the eldest's reading book from school etc. The younger one really missed the elder one when she was at school so I wanted them to spend the time playing together as well. Plus there is the cost of them which for me is a problem.

In Yr 1 will she do any more? not sure to be honest. I may put her into a multiskills sports thing after school one day a week but then the younger one will want to do the same and hers would be on a different day after school so I think we will just see how they go for now with Rainbows (younger one will start that during the year) and do more from the following september when they are Yr1/2.

Some kids are great at doing loads of stuff after school, some aren't. Some are asleep at pick up time, some are still full of life. Some thrive on routine and having everything planned out for them, some like time to just 'be' and play with their own things after a day at school. Some are great at fitting in any homework round activities, some manage perfectly well with only reading 3 nights a week because they are out the others and some do much better if they practice reading every night. They are all different so go with what seems right for your child.

I had heard the same thing about children being exhausted starting reception. I wasn't sure what to expect and found that my DD was not exhausted and so we carried on after school activities. However, what was definitely important for her was having one afternoon per week when I wasn't working and she had no activities planned so that she could have one of her new friends round to play. I'm sure this helped her socially and, looking back (she's now about to start y2), I think was the most important "after school activity" to make time for. But I agree with others who have said every child is different so you can only go on how your child reacts.

I was told my never went bed before 8-8.30pm DD1 would be tired, and would move to the normal 7pm British bed time when she started school.

Eleven years later I'm still waiting for school to make her tired!

Starting school had no effect on DD2 either.

I think 3 is the maximum. Mine only do 1 or 2 . Beavers doesn't start for a while anyway.
Plus, like the other poster suggested, friends coming round for tea is crucial. Plus atLEAST one day of no activities, for slobbing and tv, I think is essential.

My DD was in Reception last year and did swimming and dance. She was fine and could have managed another activity but I held back because by summer term she was very tired. This year she's still doing two activities - swimming and gymnastics and I'm saving extra actvities for school holidays. On the three other school nights she chills out either with me, her grandma or playdates with friends.

My dd did swimming and tennis after school all through reception. No problems.

Ds1 does three activities, he doesn't know the meaning of tired. He doesn't find school any more tiring than a none school day even when they do pe or gymnastics. He does get a good nights sleep though, 7-6.

Nothing in Reception until March-July when they started swim lessons.
Only one of my 4 DC ever did more than 2 activities a week (all the way thru primary).
Very tired except the one who got to go half days.
I still spend £70/month on extra-curric activities.

My dcs were too tired to do anything in yr r, but this was obviously going to be the case, they were both falling soundly asleep in the car within a minute or two after a day at nursery. Before they went to school, activities were only for weekends as I work. Neither had the energy for after school activities until yr 2. DS was literally falling asleep at 5 pm while eating tea, and I used to carry him upstairs and put him straight to bed by 5:45 ish, he'd sleep til 7:15 when I woke him. It was miserable, we did nothing but school, early bed, school, early bed for what felt like years. It wasn't good socially, he was too tired all the time to invite friends round and was grumpy at school due to tiredness. And he is old in his year, has an October birthday. But now he does do athletics, running, cricket, tennis and is very active and stays awake til 8:30 ish, but it took until he was 9. Dd is less tired and at 7 can manage swimming and going out to friends during the school week. Which is a relief. But I think DS is a bit unusual in how much sleep he needs, the HV wanted to refer him to a specialist cos he slept 19 hours a day when he was 1! But the doctor said no need as he met his developmental milestones.

Dd did swimming lessons at the weekend and added karate in the summer term. She is summer born and coped much better than I'd expected however know another summer born in the same class who had to have her tea and be in bed by 6 every night in the first term or she just fell asleep where she was.

My ds was fine doing 3 activities a week, plus playdates on one of the other days. He is like the Duracell bunny though!