Parents Other Activities?

[alsmom]

In my quest to raise a well rounded child I am trying to encourage my daughter to try each activity that interests her. I am finding that it is a fine line between well-rounded and a just plain over scheduled 6 year old!! This year she is training 9.5 hrs a week and wants to continue dance(which I honestly feel will only compliment her gymnastics),try Girl Scouts and she will have CCD.

What do you think? Is there a limit that you set for your gymmies? How do you help them to balance gym, outside activities, school and getting enough rest to fuel their little bodies?

 

[skschlag]

With d, we encouraged him when he was lower levels. He did all the sports, one at a time (with gym) and didn't like them. He had no desire to do cub scouts, but did take guitar lessons until it interfered with gym. He does youth group at church but that is it.

Now, he does go to an arts school where he does pretty extensive visual arts and drama, so I feel that gets a lot of that need met. Once he hits middle school, ironically, he will have more time to do somethign else if he wants.

 

[2G1B]

I have told the kids that they have to pick their priorities. For all 3 of mine that has been gymnastics. Beside that the girls have asked to go back to dance if it fits into our schedule this year (it does). My older DD has asked to try out for school chorus and the timing fits fine in our schedule (just after school once per week until 3:00 - so totally doable).

I kind of just take each thing as it comes. If it fits in the schedule and they want to do it and I won't feel overwhelmed, then we might try it. If it is going to stress me out, then we don't.

Last year dance and gymnastics didn't fit into the schedule. The girls had to pick and they picked gymnastics.

My son wants to take up horse back riding in addition to gymnastics. That one isn't happening. Simply from a financial aspect, it is too much. I'll take him for trail rides from time to time; but that is about all that we can do.

 

[2G1B]

Oh, and my twins have done guitar lessons for a year. They both tried swim team and decided it wasn't for them after about 6 months. DS has done tae kwon do, liked it; but preferred gymnastics. He also tried soccer and didn't like it at all.

 

[GymBeeMom]

At the youngest ages and earliest levels, I encouraged my children to try other things. If the schedule got too full, then they had to choose between gym or something else. Gym always won

 

[juststartingout]

My gymnast is doing between 9 and 10 hours a week and right now she isn't doing any other activities. I would let her but everything seems to be on the same days as her gymnastics. She would like to do ballet and softball. I have 3 other kids though so the price of the additional activity would also be a big consideration. One of the 3 is in college and the other 2 dance at a high priced dance studio so money is tight. Even if money was no object though I would only feel comfortable with her doing one additional activity at a time with gymnastics because it is so time consuming and on her off days we have lots of stuff to catch up on.

 

[lhmom]

DD has done other sports the last few years, but I chose leagues that were recreational with minimal practices (once a week). This past year, DD played basketball in the winter and soccer this past spring. She even participated running with her schoolmates in the city's marathon (she ran 3 miles). But she is now at 5 days a week at gym, so have no idea if she will fit anything else in. We'll see, I guess.

 

[Deleted member 15064]

LL has started piano lessons & sings once a week in a city-wide chorus.

The piano practice at home (not the actual lesson) might not get enough attention at home to continue, though.

There's enough time - gym has rotated between 16 & 32 hrs during the day this summer & will go to 12-16 next wk with school - but she keeps choosing to spend her free time on her home beam & watching USA gymnastics on YouTube instead of piano.

So much for well rounded...

Art seems to be a better compliment - no lessons to work on or minimum time needed to spend on it. She just sits & draws @ her leisure.

I personally wouldn't encourage another sport. A more cerebral, less structured activity seems like a better compliment.

 

[billise]

My kids (ages 13, 10, 6) get one activity a piece. Football, swimming, and gymnastics respectively. Between those 3 activities and church we simply don't have time for anything else!

 

[Sixmonkeyjungle]

My DD7 does 9 hours of gym and 6-9 hours of dance and Girl Scouts. It's doable but I will say in my case it's only because she is able to do half of that during the day through a homeschool program. It won't be doable for much longer mostly due to money and conflicting schedules. But she has TONS of energy left over for play and never seems stressed or burnt out. I've known girls her same age trying to balance similar schedules who just naturally have less energy and it is a huge struggle. So I think if the schedules mesh and your child has tons of energy and you can afford it then go for it.

 

[alsmom]

Thanks for the replies. I also have three other children, so that is a consideration. Next year she should jump to about 15 hrs a week, so that will further limit what she is able to do. Each of my kids have been able to participate in a variety of activities, and I don't want my gymmie to be any different...within reason!!!

 

[leotardmakermum]

My daughter doesn't do any other organised activities other than gym, apart from Sunday School. In her spare time, she reads fact books, researches her latest animal of interest through books and the internet, makes PowerPoint presentations on her latest country or animal of interest, and watches David Attenborough DVDs. We're so pleased she now has interests other than gymnastics, because it makes birthday and Christmas gift suggestions so much easier...

She did learn piano for a year when she was younger, but in the end begged to be able to give it up, to do more gymnastics. We obliged. She does take part in choir at school, but that is within school hours, so makes no difference to family scheduling.

 

[happychaos]

Thanks for the replies. I also have three other children, so that is a consideration. Next year she should jump to about 15 hrs a week, so that will further limit what she is able to do. Each of my kids have been able to participate in a variety of activities, and I don't want my gymmie to be any different...within reason!!!

I have two other children of my own, and previously had foster children, and will probably have more foster kids in late fall (siblings). They need lots of TLC. The limits I place on my DD are due to MY need to care for and chauffer everyone. DD does gym and one musical instrument (I require that of all my kids), plus her girls group at church. I occasionally feel guilty that some of her teammates are allowed to do other things, and she isn't. But, ultimately she always chooses gym over other opportunities.

For your 7-year-old, 15 hours is a lot during the school year. If she is not totally committed to gym, it will become evident quickly. Maybe allow her one other thing, and see how she does. It's always easier to add, than to take away.

 

[cbifoja]

Our philosophy was 1 activity per year in school until she ran out of time or was showing signs of being tired. She began in gym, then added soccer, then added horseback riding, and then joined chorus through school. That took her through 3rd grade.

She has now quit chorus due to lack of um......let's say interest and doesn't play soccer anymore because of gym hours. However, she has expressed an interest in doing archery through school if the scheduling works out.

This is one reason that I don't worry that the world will end if she ever walks away from gym. As long as she is active, that's all I care about and she is so passionate about sports that I feel she will excel in something new should she quit.

Now, I do wish she had some interest in the arts. I tried to push her toward dance, pottery, music lessons, etc. all without an ounce of success. I think every child should be at least moderately literate in music reading so I will insist that she pick up an instrument in middle school through the school programs. She'll hate it but at least she'll have something to discuss with her therapist when she's an adult.

 

[OwlGalLiz]

My little guy is just in kinder, and only doing gymnastics as his sport. He loves music and I am teaching him piano myself (I used to teach). We also have a full size drum set. He has a super creative mind and does lots of science experiments (thanks to kits and materials I purchase from a school supply store) and the sets he creates himself from Legos are amazing. Though some of his teammates are doing fall ball (baseball) he decided he had no interest. Next year we will add scouts. He frequently now goes along as a MeToo with our next door neighbor.

 

[OzZee]

I allow my kids to do as much as they can handle time wise, as much as I can handle financially and physically (ie driving them around) and that can fit into the whole family schedule.
Yes they will have to pick and choose later but I like to keep their options open.
dd2's other commitments have meant that she will drop band this year but she has managed two good years, can read music and play quite well - enough to busk for Christmas money!
Even if she didn't do gymnastics, other sports and chess, she may well have given up now anyway but I gave her the chance.

dd3, I'm trying desperately to allow my 6 year old to enjoy as wide range of activities as possible as you are only 6 once. It's hard as none of them are at a basic level. But it's not up to me, or my 6 year old to decide what she will want to do in 2/5/10 years time so I hope that I can let her get a decent grounding in a few things so when/if she changes her mind later she will have more of a background to draw on.

 

[alsmom]

Ozzie, I guess that is the dilemma. I do not want my 6 year old to be bound to gymnastics because she has a strong aptitude for it(though she does truly love it!). I just don't want her to look back in ten years and say I wish I was able to try...whatever, but I was too busy doing gymnastics. It is tricky with these talented littles!!

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

DD has over time dropped all of her other activities. She played recently soccer every summer. last summer (not the one that is just ending) she tried out for rep soccer, and while she had the skills she realized herself after one double header that it was too much while doing gym.

Last year she did ballet and piano, with 16 hours of gym. Much to my dissappointment, she chose to drop piano at Christmas. (She'd been honest and said she was doing it for me, which I said is never a good reason to continue, especially when she has so little time).

She moved to 25 hours at the gym this summer, which will continue through the school year, so we've now dropped ballet as well. As she is now going into grade 4, she wants to be on the school T&F team, which I've said she can do if it isn't after school (I suspect it will be, so she'll learn another life lesson about time management and having to choose).

I'd love her to be able to do more..... Art classes, horse back riding, continuing her Mandarin lessonis, Sunday school.... But time just does not allow.

 

[luvmygymdtr]

Alsmom - I would encourage your daughter to try as much as she can while she is "only" doing 9.5 hours. I regret not having my dd try more while she had the time. Now, at her 20 hour schedule, there isn't any time and I question if she has found the right sport. She is a natural athlete, but a slightly above average gymnast. It's possible she could be dominating another sport, and loving it. I will always wonder if we missed the mark with gymnastics because I never really had her try other sports.

 

[kitkat]

My daughter trains 25 hours a week. 4 days during the week and once on the weekend. She goes to school from 8:15-12:15 daily - we are lucky she is in a sports school where they have huge flexibility. She has Wednesday and Saturdays off.
As she has time in between school and when gym starts - She will doing private ballet lesson with a friend during the week - its 30 minutes and will be geared specifically towards her gymnastics.
During the summer she did yoga - I thought it would help with her back flexibility. She did enjoy it but sometimes it seemed like it was another hour of conditioning .. LOL.
She has lots of time to be with her school friends, gymnastics friends and then a couple of days of downtime.