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How To Schedule But Not Over-Schedule Your Children
from: Adwina JacksonIt is important to engage children in a variety of activities to
stimulate their mind and body. It is also important however to
as much as possible avoid over-scheduling your children if
possible.
Many well meaning parents set out to interest their children in
a few extra curricular activities aside from school and ordinary
family fun stuff.
It's natural to work hard to be the best parent that you can be.
However, many parents so caught up in the chaos of ordinary busy
life that they assume that scheduling their children for as many
activities as possible is actually the best way to rear kids.
Realistically however, over-scheduling your children has the
potential to impact your family in a negative way, preventing
your child from enjoying quiet solitude and some occasional time
to simply reflect on life and enjoy an ordinary, 'lazy' day.
Parents nowadays are excited to schedule their children for as
many activities as possible, buy into the latest developmental
tapes and do everything possible to stimulate early intellectual
development and healthy habits.
Not surprisingly, this pattern of over-scheduling can backfire,
and leave kids exhausted, confused, discouraged and un-motivated.
Remember in times of old scheduling activities was virtually
unheard of. Parents traditionally have gone with the flow,
encouraging their children to engage in active play as they see
fit.
So how do you encourage your children to get involved without
over-burdening them?
Here are some tips from experienced parents:
Schedule One Activity Per Season - if you are interested in
getting your children involved in sports for example, schedule
something for the spring and something for the fall. Don't worry
about having a plan for every season, or every weekend day. This
one activity will be enough to stimulate your child's
development and encourage a healthy lifestyle without
over-burdening them.
Allow Your Children a Choice - you want to try as best as
possible to select activities your children will enjoy. To do
this you should consider one or two different activities and
consult with your child. If you register them for soccer but
they hate soccer, you will probably only end up frustrated, and
your child will not benefit from the experience.
Allow Quiet Time - allow some portion of the day/week/month
where your children don't have to do anything. Introspection and
time for simply exploring are essential components of a child's
development.
We are all well meaning parents in the long run. Just remember
that a good parent isn't defined by how many activities they
involve their children in each and every day.
A good parent is one that allows their children the opportunity
to explore many different things without forcing many different
things on their kids.
About the author:
Adwina Jackson is a wife and mother of a young boy. She's also
the editor of Inspiring Parenting, an online source of valuable
parenting information. Please visit
for helpful and free parenting info.
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