What Extra Activities Do Your Kids Do?

flutterflye

I have an 8 year old boy in school, and a 3 year old girl who will be starting playschool this year.
Just looking for ideas for what to get them into.

Do your kids do music, sport, drama, art, or something else?

How many different activities do they do regularly?
(Would they do sports and music every week for example?)

And do you think that it is important for kids to have a full calendar of activities,
Or do you think that any more than one activity a week is too much when you consider school, homework, family time, and down time?

Thanks

Moonbeam

My 2 1/2 year old goes to play school which has finished for the summer now. Other wise we do not to any organised activities. She does music and art at home but I lack talent in either discipline!
We might go back to Gymboree in the summer.

Orion

We tried gaelic football but they didn't really care for it. We'd love them to do do drama and/or dance but they're only on during the day and we both work.

So they are in scouts - which they absolutely love. And tbh it takes up enough time with weekly meetings, weekend hikes and camping, and home activities that they need to do for badges.

marley123

My daughter who is 4 does horse riding every wk & hope to get her into the Ladybirds when she turns 5... she is starting big school in Sept & reckon 2 a wk is more than enough

lolli

My 8 year old sister goes horse riding she adores it!!

fofany

My 9 yr old does:
Mon - joining cubs from September (not sure of time or price)
Tue - stays after school for choir (45 mins, free)
Wed - Flute lessons (during school) (15-20 mins, £110 per yr)
Thur - Art (2hrs, £10 per term)
Fri - Gymnastics & Disco dancing (£3.40 per wk)
Sat - Starting new drama class from Sept (previously went on Weds) (1hr, £3.50 per wk)

She is also in the school cross country team, so has trials & races about once/twice a month. Free.
She also swims & we try to go approx 1-2 times a month (£1.68 per visit for her)
We go to the library every week. Free

Over the summer she is:
1st week July Art 2hrs per day £5 for the week
2nd week July Swimming course 1hr per day, £20 for the week
3rd & 4th weeks July Art/Dancing/Singing etc classes £110 for the 2 weeks, 5 hrs per day

Weekly arts & crafts sessions in our local library - Free
Weekly flute lessons, given by a neighbour who won't accept any money

We have nothing on for August, but are going on holiday 10th -19th.

She loves all the activities & doesn't want to give any of them up. This may all change when she gets older & gets more homework - which up to now takes no more than 20-30 mins 4 nights a week. Everything, including school, and except for the cubs, is close to home & within a max of 20 mins walk from our house. Also I am lucky that everything that she wants to do is very affordable.

My 4 yr old (starts school in Sept) doesn't do any other scheduled activity & doesn't want to! She does go to the swimming pool & library with her sister.

Wantobe

6 year old does horse riding once a week, drama once a week and swimming once a week. Next september she will keep up the horse riding, drop drama and do violin instead ( this is because I refused to let her do both).

5 year old does swimming only this year but in september is desperate to start horse riding and will probably also do violin. They both will do swimming once a week.

I think that's enough but if they had their way they would be doing more activities.:rolleyes:

cynder

My eldest does horse riding 20 euro, a week also helps out on Saturdays at the equestrian centre, during the summer hols she is there 6 days a week (every other week) helping out and getting lessons. She also made the schools swimming and track teams. Has got the gold medal in every 100 meter race since she was 7. However its not something she is pursuing as being a diabetic it can make things hard.

At school she does camogie and soccer, she quit the choir last year.

5 year old doesn't have any hobbies yet neither does the 4 year old. will get them into whatever they want when they reach 7 or 8.

Colm_OReilly

(Mods, cleared this with Orion but feel free to move)

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magrat

I clicked 'other' ... another for the Scouts.

Its brilliant and they do so much its nearly enough for her. During the school year she also did drama one day a week, in the school as an afterschool so no traveling involved. then two days a week she is in afterschool care, for an hour per day, one day is just homework but she is also there on the friday which is 'fun' day ! So she gets that as an activity too.

flutterflye

Loads of different ideas here!
Thanks
I've been looking at loads of different local activities the past few days.
Keep 'em coming!

What do you do when your child dislikes everything, and makes a big song and dance about doing an activity?
Do you force them along the first few times and hope they learn to enjoy it?

Kildrought

Mon - joining cubs from September (not sure of time or price)
Tue - stays after school for choir (45 mins, free)
Wed - Flute lessons (during school) (15-20 mins, £110 per yr)
Thur - Art (2hrs, £10 per term)
Fri - Gymnastics & Disco dancing (£3.40 per wk)
Sat - Starting new drama class from Sept (previously went on Weds) (1hr, £3.50 per wk)

Personally I think this is too much programmed time.

Also be aware that when she starts in Cub Scouts there will be weekend day activities, hikes, as well as camps and fundraising. It's not just one/two hours a week (and if that's all she does she won't get the most out of it).

littlebug

Both do music, 9 year old 2 instruments..each lesson half an hour on different days. 6 year old has music one day and soccer on another. They do plenty of arts and crafts at home on a daily basis. Other things are one offs e.g 6 year old is mad about fish/ the ocean so he goes to occasional workshops in the aquarium and daughter had an art workshop in the museum recently.

So on a regular basis that's 3x music lessons plus 1 x soccer which means that between them it's 4 afternoons to-ing and fro-ing after school. I try to keep one afternoon where we don't have to go anywhere. But I (and they) really want to fit swimming lessons in there somewhere.

flutterflye wrote: »

Do you force them along the first few times and hope they learn to enjoy it?

I would never force them into anything they don't want to do. I think any activities they do should be something they've already expressed an interest in.

If they have shown interest in something beforehand and it's just shyness/ nerves on the day then if possible maybe sit on the sidelines with them for a while and they might eventually join in when they get more comfortable in the new situation/ with new people.

fofany

Kildrought wrote: »

Personally I think this is too much programmed time.

Also be aware that when she starts in Cub Scouts there will be weekend day activities, hikes, as well as camps and fundraising. It's not just one/two hours a week (and if that's all she does she won't get the most out of it).

Yes, I also think she has a lot on, but she wants to do it all & sometimes the having to bring her to all these places (with my 4 yr old in tow) can become hard going. I hadn't thought too much about the extra time needed for cubs (my friend's daughter is joining, won't go by herself & so has asked my daughter to go along with her & will probably be bringing her there & back some weeks for me). I would rather she didn't join the drama group on Sat, but she has become too old for the one she was in & really wants to as her friends will be there too. I would prefer if we didn't have to go to anything at weekends so we can just chill.

This morning, after her swimming class (just going for this week as part of a summer activity), the teacher approached me & said how good she was & asked me to sign her up for the swimming club here in the town. But I know that this means galas & as they become older, training before school, so I said no. I wanted her to learn to swim as a life skill & didnt want her to take it up competitively (there is a very active swimming club here). Also, I don't let her take part in the disco dancing competitions as this involves travelling - often to England - I only wanted her to do it as a fun sports activity.

I'm not pushy mum who thinks that my child should do all these things, I only think its important to do some sort of sporty activity & the art classes are great because they get the chance to do more than I can do at home - pottery/tile making/more structured ideas for art. Also saves me having to clean up the mess afterwards! I originally sent her to drama because she was so shy & it has helped to build her confidence. The music/singing she does is done through the school. As I mentioned above the cubs was not originally my idea, but I think it will be good for her.

As she gets older, I'm sure she will want to give up some of her activities as she outgrows them. Hopefully by then she will have found something that she wants to stick with because I would like her to have an interest as she goes into her teenage years (dreading those)!