Avoiding Too Many Extra Curricular Activities While Homeschooling

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When my girls would be in gymnastics class and I’d be sitting in the parent are I would often be left shaking my head in confusion, and sometimes appalled by the parents and the extra curricular activities that they had their kids in, and by the parents attitude about it.

Homeschooling make extra curricular activities more enticing, and more accessible most times. But should you really sign up for anything and everything, just because you can?

Avoiding Too Many Extra Curricular Activities While Homeschooling

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In my opinion, no!

I have had my girls in gymnastics for a few years now and have listened to parents (often public school parents) go on and on about all the things that they have their children in. And oh my, if something dare conflict in times, watch out! I laughed, I shook my head, and couldn’t figure it out. These poor kids were burnt out by the time Christmas break came.

Now that we homeschool, I could have them in a lot of extras, if money were no object. But we choose one activity to sign up for. In fact, this year my girls are switching from gymnastics to dance.

Choosing Extra Curricular Activities:

I ask myself these questions, because if the answers aren’t positive then why are we going to do it? For example, gymnastics prices have been raised two years in a row, and this year I couldn’t justify it. So, dance was the alternative. My  kids had a choice of a couple different activities that were in a location that made sense (gymnastics was not), a price that was right, and what we though might interest them. Dance fit. Bonus, it might mean less cartwheels in my house!

Ask yourself these questions:

How well does the activity support the values we consider to be most important for our children?

What is the long-term benefit of the activity for this child?

How does the activity correspond with this child’s natural talents, abilities, strengths, and interests?

How often does it meet and, therefore, how much will it infringe on family life and family expenses?

Once you decide on what activities to put your child in, make sure to keep track of when it is… otherwise you’ll be wasting your time and money.