Over And Under-Scheduled- August 14, 2014
Muddling through the dog days of summer makes me ready for the routine of fall. I was really looking forward to August. I wanted to enjoy the last “pool days” with no camp and no commitments. I just wanted to get up and go to the pool with my sweet water babies. Well, the joke’s on me. I broke my foot. The doctor doesn’t want me out of the walking cast. I don’t want to take them to the pool without someone with me. Charlotte swims with a flotation device due to my extreme water anxiety. We’ll start swimming lessons next summer when she’s four.
We didn’t do swimming lessons this summer with preschool camp, dance camp and gymnastics camp. I didn’t want to over schedule her. Which leads me to my autumn dilemma.
I’m worried I over scheduled my 3-year-old.
Here’s our plan starting in September:
- Preschool half-days, four days a week. She eats lunch at school. Ends at 1:00 pm.
- Tuesdays: 50 minute gymnastics class after school at 2:00 pm.
- Thursdays: 90 minute dance class after school at 1:45 pm.
- Fridays: Free!
A few details:
Nap time typically begins a 2:30pm around here. Naturally, that will be later on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’m worried that will throw off her nap so much that she will start giving it up, which I am NOT interested in doing. This kid is a sleeper and needs naps. I know some 3 1/2 year-olds have already given them up, not my kid.
Charlotte does better on a schedule and when we are busy. When we have days at the house like we’ve had recently her behavior suffers. If we sit around the house I get either anxious or lazy. Neither is good for my psyche. That’s why I get out of the house everyday to work out or go somewhere and do something. We have not been bored since I started staying home and I like it that way. I did leave Fridays open on purpose.
I want her to be a stimulated, well adjusted preschooler who’s extra-curricular activities make her more than ready for Kindergarten. But, I also don’t want her to have an over-scheduled childhood that results in her getting into a fine private university before flunking out in the first semester in a pot-smoke haze. You know, rebelling against her yuppie, scheduled upbringing.
Plus, my Mom was like, “She doesn’t need all that! She’s only three!” Cue the guilt.
So, if you were me, what would you do? I feel like we could drop gymnastics if it’s too much or if her naps start to suffer. Thoughts? How many extra activities are too many?
Spread it around:
I think what you have sounds great! I don’t look at preschool as an “activity” per se, it’s more of a given, just part of her day, just as school will be in a couple years. 2 afternoons a week of an activity isn’t too much, especially since you said yourself she does better when you’re busy. Plus, doing something 2-3 times a week makes it more routine, whereas doing something 1 day a week ends up seeming more random, if that makes any sense! I don’t think you have to worry about overscheduling til you get to the 3+ days or activities per week. But honestly, it all comes down to how she handles it…if she seems happy, then keep doing it! If she starts complaining about going to one of her classes, that’ll be a good sign she’s doing too much.
Thanks! Yeah. I agree. 2 days a week is okay. She loves both gymnastics and dance. So, we’ll see.
90 minute dance class??? That seems crazy long for a 3.5 year old. I would drop that over gymnastics but it really depends on what she likes better. I think considering the cost of stuff is important too. I haven’t signed Natalie up for anything but I’m sure I will. I like to do stuff months at a time so a month of gymnastics in September, swimming in October etc
The class is :90 minutes because it’s a dance/acro combo class. I would say it’s too long except she was in daycare for 9 hours a day and survived. Ha! Hopefully she’ll get through without being too tired. Fingers crossed!
90 minutes seems like a long time and huge potential for a meltdown. I’d be kind of worried how tired she’d be have being at preschool and then right to the activities especially if she’s a napper. Maybe going from school to nap to an activity would be better.
I thought about that, but I had to go with the times of her age group. Those were the times of the classes. Blerg. I’ll just have snacks ready. That will help too. The 90 min class is a dance/acro combo class, so we could drop gymnastics if we need to, you know? She just loves it. We’ll see.
We limit our boys to one activity/sport at a time. But they are in preschool/school 5 full days a week. And often they have to go to each other’s activities. So one thing each is still 2-3 times a week that we are going somewhere. Travis craves and needs his down time to play Legos by himself and chill out. Justin does better with an activity to focus on. So as they get older we may adjust accordingly for each kid. Plus we’ll have a third kid in the rotation!
And you still have some time – but we skipped the fall sports season when Travis started kindergarten. Even going from full time preschool (daycare), Kindergarten was a big adjustment. So kindergarten was his “activity” for that fall!