Re: After school activities - am I over doing it?


"AM" <anu.melkote@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1175148394.188408.291640@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
My first grader is doing ballet (45 mins/wk), tap (45 mins/wk),
classical vocal music (1 hr/wk), girls scout brownies (45 mins/wk),
swimming (2 hrs/wk), violin (45 mins/wk), soccer (1 hr/wk), kumon math
and reading (4 hrs/wk), painting (30 mins/wk) and bible school (2 hrs/
wk).

Are you homeschooling? I can't imagine a first grader being in school 30
hours a week, then having approx 14 hours a week of other activities and not
totally falling apart. Heck, I'D fall apart on that schedule! Not to mention
that almost every activity on the list is something which requires practice
to progress. One violin lesson a week won't teach a child to play violin. It
takes daily practice to do that. Based on her activities, she probably
should be practicing at home about 3 hours a day (usually a child should be
practicing at least 15-30 minutes a day for a dance class, music class, or
most sports if not longer, I know Kumon has daily home activities, she
should be reading or being read to daily, plus school homework), and I'm
guessing she doesn't have the time and energy to do so.

I'd seriously suggest picking a few favorite activities and focusing on
them. She'll progress faster and enjoy the classes more if she has time to
practice, and I suspect that she could really use some downtime and time
with friends in less structured settings. It will also help reduce your
stress. Yes, it's good for children to have things to do and lots of
exposure, but it's also good to have time to do nothing.



.

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