How many extracurricular activities are too many?

I think two is pushing it. You did the right thing however by giving them limits on how much stuff they can take on. No only are the extra activities hard and time consuming on the child, they are also hard on the parent that has to take them back and forth all the time between those activities. You have to tell them that the limits you've set are set for a reason. Tell them that you can't handle to take on anymore, and that it's for their own good too. Don't let them tempt you into another sport, it's too much already!

not sure if i can put a number on it considering everyone can handle different amounts. the way i see it, is as long as you still have a couple of days to just relax and family time a week i think they are good to go. as long as they enjoy what they are doing and it's not the parents pushing their kids in an activity to make them superstars.

well, it seems like they are doing a lot of physical activities but i guess its good to start young because they will be used to it when they get older and hopefully wont fall into the habit of eating too much and not exercising at all. but i think maybe its a bit too much cause they are still young and too much exercise can put a lot of pressure on the body. maybe stick with 1 sport and a musical instrument or some other kind of academic activity.

Wow-- You sound like a taxi cab. : ) No really- I think how many depends on how old your children are-- and then I think the decision should be made on each child individually. My daughter is in basketball right now- She was in dance and basketball- She had to drop dance because she was getting behind on her schoolwork. She is also in school band and was in school chorus-- They run every day (each every other day) for the last period of school.. This period also is used to do homework, get extra help in studies, and to do fun activities with your classmates. My daughter found that it was too hard to give up every free period and dropped chorus- I thought it was a wise choice as I was going to make her stop something- Summers are different when there is no school work to be done- My daughter plays softball, soccer and dance. Its good to keep them active- My daughter is 10.

Limiting when they're younger makes sense since you're the one having to run them around all of the time. You need to consider your needs too. Plus this can teach them the less of prioritization. Which activities do they most want to pursue? Let them choose, but make sure at least one of them involves good physical exercise so they don't join the 1/3 children who are overweight. Once they get older and can drive. If they want to take up more, by all means let them as long as they can keep their grades up. When I was in HS, I was involved with as many as 6 ECAs at one point, so it can be done.

I think that it is not correct to work that way. You should have time to relax and following them that way will prevent you from accepting some other programmes that may be of benefit to you. It is good to give them your time, but when it does not give you a breathing space most certainly some other aspect of your life will be in want.

Well, it seems it is doing them a lot of goosd if they are raring to go early in the morning! Although, I think more than one sport a day is pushing it. I'm not an expert but I would think it's dangerous for them to be doing that much all in one evening. I think limiting them to 2 sports each is good, but I think if they want to do anything else, try to see if you can spread their activities out a little better if they choose something different. It's good that they want to stay so active but it's not fair on you to keep running them around everywhere. The most extra-curricular activities I have let my 7 year old do is 2 things a week.

My son is 6 and he will be allowed to do Cub Scouts when he is in 1st grade which will be all year and as soon as Little League starts he will be starting that. I don't think it starts until April? My daughter just turned 4 and she is doing ballet but her lesson starts at 4:00 so we are still home in plenty of time. My Sister in law, and 2 brother in laws are in everything. My step mother in law and Father in law are NEVER home. The oldest has an activity everyday of the week. The father in law wants them to slow down but the mother in law tells him to butt out because the oldest two aren't his. He only lets his son(the youngest) be in Cub Scouts and B Ball (Little League) Half the time she needs someone to take the kids to their activities because some of them are planned while they are still working(she's a nurse so sometimes doesn't get home and he always gets home at 6:30). I think it is ridiculous...you put your kids in something make sure you can take them! I hate when she calls and asks me but I guess that is a whole different rant...LOL

I think 3 for the year and no more than three a year.You as a parent want your child to be all he can be, to be popular,to feel good about themself.Homework has to come fisrt.Allow them to find what they are the best at and stand by them in that sport.You are a good parent. We can tell because you are worried that you by limiting them that you are holding them back. Your not ! Those other parents are just letting the kids do anything they want some of them because it is better than having to sit in the house with them.Being honest I have friends like that. They will tell everyone I would rather be here than sitting at home letting them(kids)drive me crazy. They also say they want the kids to be popular like they was when they was in school.When asked about homework they said one of the kids makes A's he never has to study but the other one will never takes to the books so he needs to play sports so they wil give him his grades.So do not let those other parents get on your mind.Your are just a better parent than them and your kids will know this someday.

I think I am just like your children. When I was in high school and in college, I have a lot of extra curricular activities. Just schedule them wisely. For me, it helped me a lot. It makes me busy and I gained more friends. Honestly, one of my reasons then to have a lot of extra curricular activities was to be popular. You know in school basically. When you do many things, people notice you and you become popular. And sometimes popularity will just lead you to success. Just support your children. However, be sure that they do not miss their classes and their homeworks.

My parents considered school the most important. But they wanted me to play the piano, so I took lessons. I also played basketball. When I got into high school, I dropped to one extracurricular activity because with youth group and school, one was plenty. I'd say never more than two, even if their grades are stellar. Kids and teens alike need to enjoy the joy of their age before always being busy as an adult.

i thing every person should do anything anytime

I think that they should do more sports at school and then you wouldn't have to do all these extra activities with your kids. For example my friends school teaching ballet to all the kids so she doesn't have to take her like I do with my daughter. They also learn swimmign and french at school which are also classes that I anticipate having to do int he future. My daughter is 5 and doing ballet after school one night a week makes her really tired. I think if it wasn't a physical activity it wouldn't be so bad for her. All kids are different though and you need to see what they can cope with. My ideal for my daughter would be to take her out of school in the afternoons and instead take her to ballet, gymnastics, french, swimming and piano lessons, but its only a dream as I can only afford for her to do one thing.

Quispy, bravo to you for taking inventory! I only have one child, so my parenting experience is completely different than yours, but I came from a family of 4 children, all born within 7 years, so you know my parents were doing a juggling act at times. I remember once when my son was young, I was running him from soccor to chess to boyscouts to I don't know what! I called my mom that night and asked her, "Mom, you once had 3 boys all under the age of 5. How did you manage it?" She replied, "I was in a state of nervous breakdown for several years!" Parenting is a tough balancing act, isn't it? But I think it's great that you're taking inventory and looking at priorities. May I ask, are you a single parent? If not, what is your spouse doing about helping to get your kids to their activities? I was a "please everyone" mom for a long time until I got burnt out. I learned that unless a parent takes care of him/herself as well as making sure everyone else is OK (if not before making sure everyone else is OK), things tend to get out of hand. Your health is as important as those around you. What kind of resources do you have for support? Why isn't carpooling happening now instead of waiting until next year? Exposing your children to new activities is wonderful, but they don't need to do everything now. As an adult, I'm finding it great fun to try things I didn't have the opportunity to do as a child. I'd also like to share something with you that may help you get a perspective on things. I began playing tennis when I was 6. I absolutely loved the sport and became pretty darn good at it, if I do say so myself. I played for my University team, but by the age of 20, I had to either quit playing tennis or get surgery on my shoulder. I had blown it out because of years of a wicked topspin. HAHAHA!!!! I'm 41, now, and I could probably take up the racket again, as my shoulder has had plenty of time to heal and I know I'm not in the physical shape to play at the top of my game, so I won't be cranking on the ball. The thing is, I was also very balanced when it came to education, so my life isn't over just because I can't play tennis anymore. I've developed other interests which keep my life full and satisfying. So, the thing is, don't get down on yourself if you feel you need to limit your kid's activities. It's wonderful that they are able to have these opportunities, but remember that these will also be there for them when they grow up. Take care of yourself and your relationships. If it's possible, talk to the parents of the other kids that are involved in these activities and see if you can't get some kind of system going where you give each other breaks. Take the neighbor's kid to basketball one night and let them take yours another. And remember, bodies can blow out, but knowledge can last forever. Education first! :D Hang in there!!

The extra curricular activities are improve ourselves and get the name popular to u...Do it well because u have the ability of concentratin in one thing, if u continues and it will leads to become popular in future or in nearby future...so continue that one....

as long as the kids can still manage their time and as long as they still have time for school. I guess as many as possible is fine.

Well when I was younger I would do one sport per season. So during the fall it would be like basketball or something then that season ended and I would start up volleyball in the winter. You should let them try out a couple sports and figure out which ones they like the best and know what they would want to stick with and have them do those sports! I know it must be a complete hassle driving them to so many, let them know that and just tell them that its better if they chose only a couple so they could put more effort into them rather than a lot of them.

I agree that one should be enough. Most of the time, my 9 year old has way too many homeworks and he doesn't even have enough time to finish those. Kids need to play too and would want to watch tv. I think 2 or more would just be too much responsibility already.

Activity is important for kids. There has to be a limit though. School studies are way more important. Maybe they could choose which activity they love most. By the way Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts wrap all those activities in One. Thanks BP for the foresight!