Mammoth Blog

Skating on Monday. Mom and Tot class on Wednesday. School on the other days, work and household chores in between... Oh but what about swimming lessons? Gymnastics? Language classes? Sometimes I feel like I'm fighting the clock, trying to squeeze in every imaginable activity to enhance the lives of my little guys. I also feel the pressure when I speak to other moms who have their kids signed up for three extra-curricular activities a week.

What ever happened to just sitting around and playing house with the kids? Running around the backyard playing tag?

Are we overscheduling our kids? I wonder if they feel the same stress that we do.

Unstructured playtime might be just as important for your child's development as academics and sports, according to a 2006 study from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Unstructured meaning no schedule. Letting them just be kids. Keeping the toys simple, like empty boxes and containers, to encourage imaginative play. Playing at the park. Riding their bikes. Setting up a tent in the backyard and play camping.

Let your child lead and set the pace for play. When an adult isn't dictating how something must be done, kids practice when to push and when to compromise on their own. They also have room to use their imagination.

I've dropped swimming lessons this fall because I figured I'm overscheduling my kids and we all need some down time. I've thrown structure out the window at home and have let the kids decide what they want to do for fun. For them, this simply means they want to engage in a wrestling match, play a game of hide and seek or tickle each other to the point of tears of laughter.

Now, a new study shows that kids are not the overscheduled generation that many believe them to be. The study's researcher found that a higher level of activity was not linked to such stress symptoms as depression, anxiety, alienation and fearfulness. The parents may feel overloaded but the children who are more active are not more stressed.

Hmmm...so what do I do now? Sign my kids up for more activities again? What is best for my them? I think a balance is crucial here. But how does one attain it?

One option is to slow down and set some limits. Allow your kids (or if they are too young, you decide for them) to choose one activity per season. Fall is a beautiful time for horse-back riding while summer is great for outdoor swimming lessons. Skating in winter is skating and spring is great for soccer.

Another option is to do two concurrent activities that are seasonal, ie. swimming and soccer in the spring and summer, and skating/hockey and music/dance classes in the fall and winter.

When? Schedule all the activities during the week so that your family can have the weekends free. Or if your weekdays are busy enough, set aside your Saturday and get it all done in one crazy day.

Some moms take the very laid-back approach and don't stress an ounce about enrolling their children into programs from the time they are out of the womb. Then there are those moms who sign up for every mom and tot program available. Are baby dance classes really necessary? They must be geared towards moms who need to socialize because really, your 1-year-old has years before appearing on "Dancing with the Stars".

With the Boss, I stressed about getting him into various activities from a very young age because "kids need to learn social skills". My opinion is that kids have the rest of their lives to become social butterflies! With the Underboss, although I've only recently enrolled him in a class at 20 months old, he is thriving unbelievably.

For me, I figure let kids be kids - let them have fun! I'll enroll my own children in one program a season. Once they start school full-time, their lives will quickly start to resemble an adult's with deadlines and schedules. Soon enough each of them will be carrying their own BlackBerry. Source>>>