Are you asking yourself “How much is too much when it comes to after school activities?” In this article we are going to give you a guide to how much time your child should be spending on these activities at any given age.
I understand that as a parent you want to make sure that your child gets to have fun and has plenty of friends. This is a great idea but if you push them into doing too many sports or other things after school you may actually be damaging their health. There really is a line when it comes to too much of a good thing. You know your child, just keep your eyes open.
Kindergarten
When you are looking for things for your kindergartener to do you need to make sure that they are fun and carefree. You shouldn’t have something that is too structured or you may totally turn them off of after school activities all together. One or two classes a week should be enough but you should always make sure that you child is having fun.
First Grade – Third Grade
During these years your child is developing their own voice and learning how to be social. Around this age you may consider putting them on a team and allowing them to play a sport. While all children are different this usually is when they start to ask about getting involved in the games at their school.
Fourth Grade – Fifth Grade
By now your child will be sure to tell you what they do and do not like. They are going to let you know what is working for them. While you do not have to totally go by what your child says since you do need to teach them to be committed you do need to listen to any legitimate concerns that the child might have.
Middle School
Once your child gets to middle school you need to get them away from the television and start to encourage them to get involved in things that are going to reinforce learning. You may want them to join a club such as the boy/girl scouts or some other club that requires thinking. Keep this at the highest 16 – 20 hours. You should always make sure that you keep your eyes open for signs of burn out. You do not want your children to get frustrated and overly tired or their studies might suffer.
