s/o activities: How many activities were YOU in as a kid

[jinkies]

Were you more or less scheduled than your kids are? Or about the same?

My parents didn't really start me in any activities until I was probably 8 or 9. At that point I was old enough for 4H, and also the children's choir at church. (not coincidentally, both free activities)

The only thing I did before that was an occasional swim lesson.

My kids are only 6 and 2, and we're about on the same track. Although my kids get more experiences than I did because they are in daycare/"camp" 2 days/week.

I often feel guilty that my kids aren't in more activities, but when I look back at my childhood, the things I did when I was "bored" made me who I am today. (I read a lot, and wrote, and was expected to help on my parents farm)

[eddy]

I grew up in a small community so acitivties were limited. I remember doing dance for a bit, and girl scouts for a bit, 4-H, then in 5-6 grade we could start up school sports. None were too time consuming. In high school I was in 2-3 sports a year and then some other stuff.

It was a good balance. Ideally that balance is what I want for my kids.

I also grew up on a farm and have a TON of memories being on my own or with my sister just playing all day. So those memories are what I want for my kids. The formal activities are not what I look back at fondly.

[btay]

I started bowling on Saturday mornings at age 10, before that all I had were some swim lessons. I'm hoping that my phantom kids will follow a similar path and limit the activities to one per season because I see a lot of value in free play.

[rex]

dance was my main activity and took up a lot of time so i couldn't do much else. i did play the flute until my senior year of high school as well.

L is too young to be scheduled but i am not and will not be a taxi service. pick one or two things and stick with them.

[schitzengiggles]

I was in band (and we practiced during school, so the only thing we did outside of school hours were the occasional concert, and once I was older and in Jazz band, playing at home games once or twice a week).

I was also in Girl Scouts, which at the most was a meeting once a week, right after school. I think when I got older it was more like once a month, and then the occasional special event.

No sports.

[nerdicorn]

None until I was old enough to arrange my own rides and pay for it myself. So I did cross country, track, jazz choir, and marketing club (DECA) in high school. My dad was checked out and my step mom didn't really care to focus at all on anyone but herself. I really wanted to do Girl Scouts, gymnastics, and learn an instrument when I was young but step-mom axed all of it immediately.

[joenali]

Started swimming lessons at three, swim team at age seven, quit at about 11, danced for three years and then went back to swimming. I dabbled in tennis and gymnastics, but only for a session or two.

[candreco]

Elementary school, I was in Girl Scouts, dance once a week, and softball or soccer. In middle school I added tennis. High school I dropped dance and softball, was still in Girl Scouts, and did marching band, theater, tennis and academic league as school extracurriculars.

[brighton]

I didn't want to be in any activities, but my mom said I had to be in at least one. I did dance class and then switched to Girl Scouts. I was never interested in sports. My son is only one so we haven't started any activities yet.

[wambam]

Pre-HS I did one sport, church activities, and Girl Scouts.

In HS, I was only allowed to do one thing at a time. So in the fall, I played tennis. In the winter and spring, I did theater.

[RoxMonster]

I was in a ton of activities, especially as I got older.

Dance - jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, hip hop, and Rockette-style (I went 3-4 nights a week)

Jazz band (mornings before school)

Private flute lessons (1 night)

Pit orchestra for musicals (for three months out of the year, practice was every night)

Key Club (President my sr year) - mostly weekend activities

Golf team (fall only, almost every day after school)

It was exhausting but fun. When I was younger, I did flute lessons, piano lessons, and dance regularly. There were also gymnastics, ice skating, and swimming thrown in there.

[Deleted]

Dance class from the time I was 3 until about 8th grade.

Cheerleading every fall. Basketball in the winter. Softball in the spring.

[cc]

I did dance for a year or two when I was really little. Then my mom signed me up for the children's choir at church, which turned into me singing in chorus at school from 8th grade to when I graduated high school.

I was briefly an alter server and was involved with a Presbyterian church's youth group for a few of my teenage years.

[ECB]

Not a ton. I remember doing dance when I was really young. Diving lessons in middle school. Girl Scouts through middle and into high school. Piano in there some where too.

It wasn't a lot and I don't plan to put DS into too much either. I have friends who have their kids in 2 or 3 things EACH right now and she's totally overwhemled, as I think the kids are too. Not interested in doing this.

[pantsparty]

Every so often, I would sign up for some sort of class from the community parks and rec catalog. Dance or art or something like that. I was in Girl Scouts through 3rd or 4th grade, I think.

In high school, I was on Pom and in a theater program. That took up most of my time.

[Booze Raccoon]

Special Chorus (met before school)
Gymnastics (during the summer)
Drama (after school)

[shell403b]

I was a BlueBird (I think it was like Scouts) in elementary school. I participated in choir and theatre in JHS & HS. I took piano lessons forever. That's about it. I had to babysit my brother and do an assload of chores. I went to camp for a week most summers. We weren't that well off, so there wasn't a ton of money to do a million activities.

[Deleted]

I thought I didn't do much but now that I look at my list, it's more than I realized.

-Brownies thru Girl Scouts
- gymnastics and swimming ages 6-8
- piano lessons age 6-8
- violin lessons age 9
- marching band junior high

In H.S. I just worked on the newspaper and had a job.

[cbwm1]

As a small child, not many. T-ball for a couple years, gymnastics for awhile but then I got kicked out because I was too fat, and then poms/dance for a summer.

Once I got to 5th grade, it was band band band all the time.


In HS, my parents counted the days until I turned 16 so they could stop driving me to all my shit. LOL. I would leave home to be at school by 7 most mornings for pre-school meetings, and then wouldn't come home most nights until 7 or 8.

[idoinjuly]

I had a brief stint as a Brownie. Is that still a thing? It was like a junior Girl Scout.

My parents never got us involved in anything, and to be honest, I feel like I missed out. It's important to me that our kids be involved in SOMETHING.

[keyslover]

Right now, more. They both had dance last year (age 5 and 2).  Now the older one is staying in dance, the younger one will get it in preschool.    I didn't start anything really (unless you count community ed classes) until 3rd grade.  

[mushmouse]

I always played 1 sport but my parents had almost nothing to do with it.  I kept track of and walked to and from practices and home games.  My parents didn't drive so I usually went to the games with a coach.  Occasionally my Mom would take me on the bus.  It was through CYO at school so not very expensive.  If there was a lot of money involved it wouldn't have happened.

[aprilsails]

For non-school related activities I was only allowed one per year (dance ages 4 - 5, skating ages 6 - 14, sailing ages 15+).

On top of that we did a two week swim lesson/YMCA camp in the summer. This usually coincided with when our daycare provider took her summer vacation.

We never did any summer activities (I went away to a camp for the summer to sail) since that is when my parents played baseball. They were very competitive and my Dad was the president of the local league so it would take up 2 - 3 nights per week. That being said, we played ball on the back kid's field with other player's kids so it's not like we were inactive. Just unorganized.

I participated in lots of activities and programs through my schools. I was on every sports team I could get into, however most of those teams involved a few late practices immediately after school (there was a late bus) and then going to a 1 or 2 day tournament during the school week. It was no-cost and low-time impact for my family. I was also in a board-wide choir and in the school band for years. These had practices over lunch and after school I would take the late bus. My school had amazing extra-curricular opportunities.

[Waffles]

Ice skating moving on to figure skating from around 6 until 16? Last few years were meeting up with my friends at the rink rather than lessons, etc.

I also started and gave up piano, ballet, modern jazz dance, gymnastics, tennis, etc.

[CurlyQ284]

Not many. I did gymnastics, piano and horseback riding for short time periods. My brother played competitive baseball and we pretty much lived at the baseball field.

I played volleyball in high school and loved it.

[cville]

Hmmm. We didn't have tons of cash for activities, so I only was allowed one at a time as a elementary/middle school kid (plus Girl Scouts, even though it was usually lame and more about crafts than camping, until 6th grade). Swim team in the summers, then I'd either have art lessons or something else. I did horseback riding, softball (I cannot emphasize enough how horrible I was at softball), tennis, clarinet, a children's travelling choir (lol lol lol).


Then in high school I lost my damn mind, played 2 sports (and rowing was fall and spring, so that was all year long) that both had 2 a days, did plays, was in the honor society, was on my church youth group board (please, hold your laughter), was in 2 or 3 clubs, etc.  My parents were cool with it because other than swimming and rowing it was largely free and I had a job starting my sophomore year, and I could bum rides.

[thatgirl2478]

As for non school sponsored activities: I was in Brownies for 1 year.  Then a few years later I "played" softball for a summer (I was awful, I hated it, but my Mom wouldn't let me quit). 

I did a bunch of school sponsored stuff - Band (Marching, Concert, Pep, Jazz, Holiday Mini Band, accompanied Madrigal Singers, part of the Show Choir Band plus solo/ensembles each year), Speech & Drama, Stats girl for the Volley Ball team, NHS, SADD, etc.  Yeah, I was kind of an overachiever... 

[Deleted]

Elementary school, I did softball in spring through middle school. I tried other sports too but only one per season. Sunday school with my family. Girl scouts.

Junior high and high school I did ERRYTHING but it was all through the school, so I could do an activity after school and then take the late bus home at 5:30.

Travel sports, private lessons were out. It was all rec league or school club activities.

[luckyval]

We got to choose one a year.

For a while it was swim team until I joined the school team in high school. Then it was voice lessons. Then I switched from voice to dance.

[katfco]

Nothing lasting. A couple of years of Girl Scouts in early elementary. A year of it again in late elementary where we did nothing; 2 seasons of softball. Chorus and some band in 7-12 grade.

Other than church, we had very little out of school activities. In high school, I was heavily involved in SADD and the newspaper and I did some theater in high school, but not much. The theater teacher was pretty out there.