Managing busy calendars as an adult can be a chore – often involving a degree in multi-tasking with minors in time management, organizational efficiencies, and defensive driving. Add to that the schedule of a child or two and it’ll be a miracle if you still have your sanity in tact come Friday.
Growing up, my brother and I were “do all of the things” kind of children. Hockey, Soccer, Baseball, Skiing, Girl Guides, Air Cadets, you name it. If there was an extra-curricular activity that could be registered for, we were probably in it.
“There’s just not enough hours in the day!” was a common complaint in our house.
Actually, it’s still a common complaint in my our house!
Naturally, as a busy mom who currently does all.of.the.things I want my children to be able to do the same. I firmly believe that organized sports are crucial for learning and developing skills such as team work and discipline, plus the fact that they’re a great way to meet other children of the same age, and keep your kids active and build confidence.
Where the struggle comes in, is making sure that your kids are not over worked and under played. As my kids get older, and are more influenced by the kids in their classes and what their doing, I find more requests come in.
“Can we play soccer?”“I wanna join Dance classes like Ali!”“How come Caleb does Scouts and I don’t?”
Finding the time to indulge my kids in the activities that they want to do (sports, music, and special interest), they need to do (things I consider to be core life skills like swimming lessons and bike riding), as well as opening them up to new activities that they’ve never tried before leaves more hours in a day spent on activities than there actually is in a day!
Here are some great tips for managing burnout and helping to find balance in activities:
- Talk to your kids
Seems simple, make sure you’re checking in with them often to see if they’re really enjoying what they’re doing. Peer pressure starts young, and often times children will want to register in an activity because that’s what their friends are doing when in fact they don’t really enjoy it. With precious extra-curricular hours being just that, precious, make sure that you’re spending them doing something your kids are enjoying.
- Try trial classes
Does your child want to try something new and you don’t want to invest all the time, effort and money into a class that you’re not sure if they’ll like or not. Most places offer trial classes for just this reason! Check websites, call, or even walk in and see if this is something that they offer. A great way to try before you buy, especially if you have an apprehensive child.
- Spread it out
If possible, try to make sure that your child’s activities aren’t back to back. Give a couple of days between classes so your child is less likely to burn out from doing too much in a short period of time. Opting for shorter class times when your kids are younger will also help keep them interested.
- Mix it up
Try switching things up every season. This will keep your child interested in a variety of activities as well as keep things fresh. Boredom happens when we do the same thing for too long, kids are no stranger to this.
Do you have tried tested and and true methods to keep your kids from burning out?
**Disclosure: This post was sponsored by: BrigthPath Early Learning & Childcare **
BrightPath is an innovative provider of early education. We continuously examine new ways to bring the highest quality of care and development to our children while providing convenience, service and value to our families. With partnerships in curriculum, nutrition, technology and recreational fitness programming, BrightPath is committed to providing families with the very best care, programs and child development Canada has to offer. Above all else, nothing should take precedence over the well-being and safety of our children. BrightPath is dedicated to providing the very best environment for children to play, grow and develop. BrightPath has 53 centres located throughout British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.
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