Swim, Dance, Martial Arts, or Something Else?

There are so many activities she can try but it is imperative she know how to swim, especially since you go to the pool.

I think swimming is wonderful. It is a skill for life, a great all over exercise and very relaxing. If she is shy, she may be more self-conscious in dance or martial arts.

Personally I think every child needs to take swim lessons. I do not consider swim lessons to be an extra-curricular activity, but an essential life skill that no child should do without. Swim lessons can save her life.

I'm partial to swimming because at that age she would be learning how to have fun in the water. She would be taught how to breath and float and bob up and down. It's a lot of play and very little focused on motor skills, though the activities would help her motor skills. Also, knowing how to swim is so important, and this would get her started.

Dance is usually also a lot of fun at that age. My only concern is that some kids do find it intimidating, so you want a good instructor that knows how to work with kids.

Martial arts are usually for older kids. The ones in our area want the kids to be at least 6 or 7 before they begin.

I vote for swimming :-)

Knowing how to swim is a life saving skill. Start there!

I would try a few different things and see what she takes to. Children are individuals after all, it's important to find activities she actually enjoys.
And don't be surprised if she's not ready for any of it. Four is very young, traditionally speaking sports and other organized activities are better suited to older kids who are more mature and have the ability to function very well outside of the home and away from parents and close caregivers. Putting her in these things before she's ready could actually make it worse for her by adding stress and anxiety.
You can always encourage her physically by taking her swimming, hiking, biking, etc. yourself. I did kindergym and mommy and me swim classes with all three of my kids when they were little as well, fun for the kiddos and nice for me to meet other parents. Kindergym (or pretty much any gymnastics place) is usually a lot of fun and GREAT exercise for kids, climbing, swinging, balancing, jumping, it doesn't get much better than that!

Back when we were trying to figure out what our daughter (now 21) wanted to do, there were "trial" periods that came at minimal costs.

SO, we tried soccer, gymnastics, dance, scouts to name a few and nothing "clicked" for her. Then a friend was going to "trial" martial arts and she asked to do that and to our shock, this is what she loved! She trained hard for several years and is a blackbelt now.

Beginning 6th grade around here, every student is required to take a music course.. choices are band, orchestra or choir. Our daughter picked the violin and orchestra. Little did we know, she is a natural with the violin and she still plays the violin we bought for her in 7th grade when she made chamber orchestra.

She ended up enjoying cheerleading and cheered from 8-12th grades and being Varsity captain of her high school squad. We didn't see that one coming either!!

She is now 21 and a senior in college and I am still surprised by some of the things she does... she is SO darn crafty and artsy and can decorate a place like a million bucks on a budget.

Your statement of giving your daughter the opportunity to make friends in different groups is spot on. I think it is important to have friends within your school, church, team, etc. It helps keep you well rounded and you have a lot of diverse friends that way!

i don't consider swimming to be an extracurricular activity, it's a necessary life skill. so that would be at the top of my list.
beyond that, it would be 'whatever she wants.' but i'm not one of the moms who believed that a child trying out an activity was signing a years-long commitment. i would consider it exploring her options, and encourage a diversity of activities that could include dancing, martial arts, sports, horseback riding, theater, and anything else her young interests could encompass.
obviously you can't do them all, or very many at any given time, but i think this is a great age for stoking the fire of creativity and curiosity.
khairete
S.

My younger son has been doing ballet since he was four and loves it! He does a mixed dance class as well, but ballet is his favorite. The biggest benefit that I have seen from it so far, physically, is improved balance and flexibility. Even though it is great exercise, ballet-only classes tend to be a big more quiet and focused than general dance. If your little one is shy, that environment might suit her personality. I agree with the other moms, though...try a bunch of things and see what clicks! I never would have guessed that my older son would fall in love with chess, but it is his favorite activity now!

Swimming is an important life skill, so I would pick this one.

I also like to pick one team sport and one individual sport until the child has his/her own preferences. So I would say swimming and what ever team sport that is in season (I think Soccer is the popular in the Fall).

My opinion is that 4 is too young for martial arts. I have a 10 year old who loves taekwondo and it's great for him. I have a 6 year old who wants to do it and I say no for now. Martial arts requires a lot of focus in my experience, most kids don't have it until they are a little older.

At that age, can you do a mommy and me gymnastics class?

At 4 mine were in swimming lessons.

My kids were in preschool or daycare and pretty exhausted most days coming home. They did music etc. at preschool, and dress up and acting (through play) but nothing super organized.

My youngest did dance through her preschool also.

By age 5, we added scouting to the swim. (so girl or boy scouts - for little ones). They all did very well in that and the kids were some from school but mostly just from our area so they met new kids.

Our counselor that my son sees suggests 1 activity that is interest based (like scouting, music, etc.) and one physical activity (like a sport, swim or dance, etc.) per kid. That's school aged. More than that - she feels adds to stress in kids.

Swimming competency is not a luxury, it's a vital life-saving skill. If you think she'll go in the water, I'd start there. Good instructors make it fun.

I'd encourage your child to get out and MOVE, but I'd be very cautious about putting a 4 year old in too much of a structured setting. A lot of 4 year olds don't do well in it (neither do a lot of 6 or 9 year olds), and then parents get into the bind of "I paid for it, she doesn't want to go, now what?"

I'd skip the drama now unless you are positive that she's really geared toward make believe and creative play. She's only 4 - wait a while before you really force her out of her shyness. Maybe that's HER, you know? Let her get into school and a few other things where she will get exposure to a variety of arts/music (I hope - if your schools don't offer much, lobby for it!).

Swim should probably be a given, because it's a safety issue. And then let her try some different things to see what and who she clicks with. The YMCA is a great place for little one's to try seasonal sports for short sessions. As a little guy my son did soccer, t-ball, swimming, flag football, basketball and lots of fun parent/child classes. They are a great resource!

Swimming is good and many teachers make it fun at that age. Also maybe childrens gymnastics (tumbling, balance beam, etc).

We let our kids try lots of different things at that age. At 4 you can do almost anything - soccer, football, dance, baseball, gymnastics, martial arts, swimming, horseback riding, etc. Why not ask her what she likes and let her try different things? A lot of places offer 8 week classes so you can try it out.