How to fit in all the activities we want to do?
My oldest, 5, is in Kindergarten. After school, he comes home tired and wants to hang out at home for awhile. He takes a math class one night/week, a language class one morning/week, and another class he likes 1 afternoon/week. I want him to learn how to swim (as a safety issue), he wants to take soccer and baseball, and he's been begging to take piano and violin since he was 3. He wants to have more playdates and we want to visit our friends who generally have kids his age to play with. We also want to explore the area more and do more family trips. He wants to ride his bike more and go on more hikes. Also, we have two younger kids. Ack! I feel like there is no way we can fit in everything he wants to do without over-scheduling him, even if we completely neglect the younger kids which we (obviously) aren't willing to do. So how do we prioritize?
2 Answers
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A friend/neighbor suggested this:
We don’t do many afterschool activities, I have to fight to keep our schedules clear. My policy is two activities of their choice and one of mine. They had to learn how to swim, so they took swimming lessons for three years. Now they are both great swimmers, and it’s on to Spanish. As I tell them all the time, they will love me in middle school and high school.
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I hear you! There are SO many activities and SO little time. I have tended to limit the activities because I enjoy being home with the kids and having the time to play board games, work on the homework, go to the park... I have three children and they all want to do a few things, so we try to give each thing a shot which sometimes means shelving another. I thought I would insist on the instrument, but as my two older children decided to take a break from violin I decided they needed the break. I am constantly encouraging them to consider a new instrument, but I won't push until they are great-guns about an instrument.
