Children’s activities offer great opportunities to discover and explore interests. However, there may come a time where you’re concerned that you may have overstructured your children and may need to cut back. There are a few ways to know when this needs to happen.
School Struggles
You want to make sure your children are successful in school and get their homework done each night. When your child starts to fall behind or do poorly on tests, it’s possible that they have too many activities and not enough time for academics.
Sleep Issues
When your child is consistently up late to complete their homework, it’s time to look at their schedule. They may feel overwhelmed by everything, which will also leave them feeling tired frequently. You don’t want your child to have so many activities each night they can never get to bed on time.
Not Having Enough Unstructured Down Time
When children run from activity to activity all night long without any down-time in between activities, you know your child is overscheduled. Children need some unstructured time when they can play quietly, do some crafts, or simply watch TV.
A Lack of High-Quality Family Time
Your child needs some time each day to relax with their family – even if this is just sitting down to eat a meal together. This is much more important than having a lot of activities that will keep them busy. Of course, children should always be encouraged to pursue the activities that they enjoy, but this should never happen at the expense of family time.
Desiring to Quit Activities
When your child asks you if they can stop participating in an activity or to slow down so they have more time to play with their friends or explore their other interests, you should listen to them. Although you may be worried that letting them “quit” will set a bad precedent, this isn’t always true. Sometimes children who have had two or three activities going on at once for a while really need some time away from things. You should listen to your child when they share their needs and concerns with you. Your child knows themselves and their bodies best.
Knowing When Enough is Enough
As parents, we often worry about doing what’s best for our children. Sometimes we need a little extra help in determining what this is. When this happens, you should know that you have a partner in The Children’s Academy here in Mansfield, Texas.
