Multiple Extra curricular activities or one or two activities in a week

[apanati]

Hi

My friend send her kids to multipile extra curricular activities in a week. Like Piano and swimming on Monday, Tuesday - Kumon, Wednesday -tennis, Thursday- Kumon, Friday - Caranatic Music. My friend thinks that this is the good way to exposing them to all activities and then after few years they will have a choice to pick one activity and work on advanced skills.

My husband thinks that by going to so many activities, kids will not have time to practice and they will practice it in their next class. After few years as they don't learn much they will loose interest in all of them. One or two activities in a week is the best way to create interest in a kid.

Please give your inputs based on your experience.

[OurGen-X]

My husband thinks that by going to so many activities, kids will not have time to practice and they will practice it in their next class. After few years as they don't learn much they will loose interest in all of them. One or two activities in a week is the best way to create interest in a kid..

Methinks that too!

[laks0]

Hi

My friend thinks that this is the good way to exposing them to all activities and then after few years they will have a choice to pick one activity and work on advanced skills.

Thats a good thought but try not to do all the different activities at the same time. I think 1 music class and 2 sport(1 individual and 1 team) is good enough. try for a few months and if child is not interested move on to next activity.

[Tweedledee]

Thats a good thought but try not to do all the different activities at the same time. I think 1 music class and 2 sport(1 individual and 1 team) is good enough. try for a few months and if child is not interested move on to next activity.

I believe at least 1 sport is necessary, since kids abroad dont get any impromptu physical activity unlike their counterparts in india who live in housing societies. what sport, depends on the kid. some kids excel at team sports like soccer, others in individual sports like swimming, tennis etc. Next, if kids have the aptitude, add art or music. knowledge of art is always useful especially for school projects :).

going over 3 activities creates overload for the kid, and for the parent who has to shuttle the kid to/from all these activities.

[Grace]

Two activities in a week would be optimum in my opinion based on kid’s interest, if the kid has any specific interests. If not, just pick two,
you think will interest them most. It will give them opportunity to do something they like doing and they will excel naturally and would also
like to practice it more. Having too many activities might lead to lack of focus and eventually interest.

[GutsyGibbon]

Agreed that 2 at a time would help the kid chew on all the things the child is learning. I feel its important for children to experience several sports/activities. At least one of each kind. Adventure sports (skateboard, bicycle, roller blade), team sport(soccer, baseball, basketball, water polo), marshal arts(Karate, taekwondo ), individual sport (tennis, table tennis, gymnastics), water sports( swimming, diving, kayaking), winter sport (skiing, boarding). Also kids pick up on the interests of parents and activities they can do with their parents (till they are past 10 yrs, when the interests of friends would take over). The interests they express has a lot to do with what parents do.
Given all these options, my daughter came up with a new one - horse riding. Thank goodness for the internet - I think we(/the current generation) have the potential to be better at parenting(/fulfilling wishes) because of the abundance of good info available. If anyone has good references in the So. Calif area for this - could you please PM me?