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Avoiding Too Many Extracurricular Activities While Homeschooling

Homeschooling can make extracurricular activities more enticing, and more accessible most times. But should you really sign up for anything and everything, just because you can? There is such thing as too many extracurricular activities.

Extracurricular Activities for Homeschoolers

Avoiding Too Many Extracurricular Activities While Homeschooling

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I have had my girls in gymnastics for a few years now and have listened to parents go on and on about all the things that they have their children in. And oh my, if something dares conflict in times, watch out! I laughed, I shook my head, and couldn’t figure it out. These poor kids and their parents 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. there are a lot of places that offer classes throughout the day for homeschoolers.

But we choose one activity to sign up for. In fact, this year my girls are switching from gymnastics to dance.

Extracurricular Activities for Homeschoolers

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 of different activities that were in a location that made sense (gymnastics was not), a price that was right, and what we thought might interest them. Dance fit. Bonus, it might mean fewer 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.

Avoiding Too Many Extracurricular Activities While Homeschooling

Homeschool Extracurricular Activities

Now that you have answered those questions what kind of activities can you sign your kids up for?

  • dance – there are many different types of dance
  • gymnastics
  • karate
  • hockey
  • soccer
  • tennis
  • cooking classes
  • piano
  • and too many more to list

What Too Many Extracurricular Activities Looks Like

Are you rushing through your lessons? Are you eating on the go? Maybe you feel like you are always on the go and never home with your kids anymore. If that sounds like you, you might have too much on the go.

Just like it is ok to stop a curriculum that isn’t meaning your needs or you are struggling to make work, you can stop an extracurricular activity.

Yes, we want to help our children be all that they can be, but we also need to think about mental health too. Rushing here and there might not be giving them what they need emotionally or mentally.

Now might not be the time to take piano lessons, hockey, and cooking classes, plus homeschool lessons of course. Maybe something needs to wait until hockey season is over or such.

The takeaway is to think about what is right for your family. Too many activities are going to cause you, and your kids to burn out which isn’t going to help anyone. One activity instead of three is going to be better in the long wrong, allowing you and your child to focus better without worrying about what’s next.

You need to know what you and your child can handle, no one can tell you what the right number of activities is right for your family.