Am I Getting My Soon to Be 7 Year Old into Too an Activity Overload?

Hi, M. -
I've asked myself these same questions. I have a 6 year old that is taking two gymnastic lessons per week. One group and one private. She also takes private swimming lessons, and has just been qualified to swim on the Rookie Swim Team. I'm grateful that we're able to afford to provide her these learning opportunities, but always keep evaluating what her level of interest is. She'll do the work, but is she doing it just to please me? Is she doing gymnastics because she wants to do gymnastics or because I want her to do gymnastics? Have an honest conversation with your son. Let him know that he should continue with these activities only if he really wants to. If he doesn't, ask him what he would like to do and pursue that. You'll find his passion. Good luck.

He sounds pretty busy, but why not ask him why he is acting the way he is? I have found that my kids may not phrase it the way I would, but they often are able to describe in some way or another why they are struggling.

I personally think its too much with school. My oldest is 5 and will be 6 in July. AT most during the school year we do 1 activity and summer they get to do more. I just think with school doing things so many days a week is just exhausting for them and I'd be whiny too! LOL Maybe you can alternate them. I know karate is pretty much year round. so why not do that when t-ball is over? My son is in kinder and I felt that was enough for his first year. Now during the summer he will do swim a a mixed sports class. We may do karate when schools starts back up for 1st grade.

Hello,
I have been a teacher for 13 years and I am also a parent. I think that your child has too many activities. Children need down time just to play at home with siblings or with parents or just by themselves. It helps with imagination, creativity, problem solving and self esteem. One activity is enough to teach them about teamwork and to expose them to social situations.

I wouldn't be so quick to find a corrilation between his level of activies and a realatively new "whiny stage".

Remember he is a little boy with TONS of energy and the more you channel that energy into structured activity the better! All four of my kids do 3-5 activities/classes a week and have done so since they were babies. If he starts complaining about going or seems upset that it is interupting playtime with friends then I would look to start eliminating things.

In summation, I do not think four days a week of scheduled activity or classes is to much for a boy his age.

My daughter's only 3, BUT that sounds like too much for such a young kid. 1 activity is sufficient, since he already has school, and still needs time to just be a kid & play normally.