This week's topic:
Question: How many activities does each of your children participate in? At what age is the child ready to participate in activities?
I find myself struggling with this topic. Part of me thinks Maya is too young and doesn't need to participate in activities right now. The other part of me feels it is good for Maya to participate in structured activities that get her body moving and for her to interact with other kids. So far I have enrolled Maya in a few sessions of gymnastics and swimming lessons. However, she has never done both of these at the same time. I guess you could say I believe in only 1 activity at a time.
When I talk to other parents specifically other mothers, I get a mixed response. Many parents feel the age of 3 is far too young to have them participate in group sports. Other mothers feel 2 activities at a time is just fine and isn't too much.
Is there a magic number or does it depend on the child? Maya is soon going to taking a class called Toddler Time which will introduce Maya to many different sports such as basketball, bowling, and soccer. Swimming lessons follow this class and then soccer begins. I feel overwhelmed already and they don't even overlap!
What do you think?
7 comments:
I have had these same questions and wresteled with the same things. I always blamed it on the fact that I grew up in such a small town and there weren't so many choices. I don't think there is a magic answer, but i think that the word is balance. I think you have to look at your family, seek God and decide what a healthy balance is between giving your kids some experiences but still remembering that really all kids need is to play. I think playing outside and playing creativly are just as beneficial for preschoolers as organized "sports". When you are at peace with the amount of "activity" you have I think you've found the balance you are looking for. Hope this helps. Hang in there!
We started both the kids in "organized" sports activites around the age of 3. For me it was an avenue to get them interacting with other children in a group since I was a stay at home mom with them and also to promote an active lifestyle for them. As they got older they became more involved in sports and as you know sometimes several sports at one time which can be logistical nightmare. We have now gone to one sport during a season which has been working really well for us. Hope that helps.
I think the biggest consideration is for the parents. Kids will get grumpy and be uncooperative if they really don't want to participate, so it shouldn't be too hard to know if it's too much for them. However I think a mistake some parents make is burning themselves out by enrolling their kids into too many activities.
I guess I'm saying our little ones will let us know when they're not liking something, so that's not a concern. Also I don't think it really matters for the development of a 3 year old if they participate or not. The key is to not stress out the parents, because that WILL cause problems for everybody.
I think you nailed it on the head when you said it depends on the kid and their personality. I also agree with Lisa, it also depends on how much interaction kids have with other kids each week. Classes/sports can be some kids "social" time if they don't attend a daycare or school.
I'm de-lurking because I love this topic. I have a 2 1/2 year old son (and a 5 month old daughter in Ethiopia!). Right now, he's taking one music class, but that's it, and in our area of the country, he's WAY behind in terms of activities.
Yes, I think it's totally dependent on the child's personality, but I think that even those of us with activity seeking toddlers need to be aware that setting them up in these activities at an age when perhaps they should be playing around the house, could have unintended consequences.
I guess I'm having a hard time believing that a three year-old needs to not only be in school at least 3, if not 5, days a week, but that he should also be in music classes and organized sports. What happened to childhood?
Just as most everyone else has said I think it depends mostly on the personality of the child.
My almost three year old daughter is enrolled in 2-3 activities per week and has been since she was around 18 months old. This may seem like a lot, but she has also always been at home with either myself or my husband. If she were in preschool I think we would probably cut back to fewer activities.
She is also our only child, and I think this factors in as well, particularly when children get older and schedules become more full. Keeping up with one child's schedule is not too bad, regardless of how many activities they participate in.
For right now, as long as she is enjoying herself, and learning a little bit too, I am happy to get her involved in as much or as little as she seems to be able to handle.
Thanks everyone for your thoughts on this subject. I think it does really depend on the child. I know Maya is asking to play soccer, swimming lessons, and gymnastics but doing all 3 is too much for us parents. So I guess it depends on the child and the parents.
I really appreciate everyone taking the time to post a comment.
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