s/o Activities

[lattelady5]

What activities do your kids participate? Do you stay with them or drop off? Do you see them continuing to participate through the years?

[lattelady5]

DD does dance. She takes a combo class with tap, ballet and acro. We just switched studios and she went from an hour class to a half hour. I usually left the 1 hour class and did leave her last week for the 30 min class to pick up pizza. She really loves tap and I can see her sticking with dance. She loves ballet too and is so so with acro.

I wish ds didn't lose his crap at every drop off or anytime I leave becuase I think he'd have a fun time dancing. Maybe next year.

DD also "played soccer" but basically just picked flowers. I had to coach becuase they had too many kids and no coaches. 19 kids 3-6 and me. Lol Idk if we'll do that again.

[abs]

DD does dance (ballet/tap) and gymnastics. Both are once a week. We are doing an 8 week soccer season this Spring, too.

Once it warms up we will add swim lessons (and drop gymnastics) and maybe swim team this summer.

Dance seems to be her thing. She loves it. She's very athletic though and loves running so I'm curious to see how soccer goes.

[usm]

C does soccer spring and fall. It's one practice a week and one game a week. I stay for it. He has done summer t-ball in the past but I think we may skip it this year. It's like 3 games a week and it's hot.

He does 2 weeks of swimming lessons in the summer but II want to switch him to team now so they will be more of a commitment.

[Katiedid]

DD1 does soccer, swimming and baseball, plus a few random activities. I usually stay because the activities are only an hour.

DD2 has done soccer and gymnastics. I stay for these but will occasionally workout while she does gymnastics. DS hasn't done any activities yet.

[cjcouple]

My 9yo does swim year round - we stay it's 30 min.
He is currently playing basketball, we stay. 1 game/1 practice per week. 1hr and 15 mins or so
In the spring he will do soccer, that is 2 practices (1.5hr) and 1 game per week. Both stay and drop off. My youngest also plays so if he has a practice at the same time, we will leave my oldest for a while. The coach is a friend and has my number and I am right at the lower field (2 min drive). Games never conflict so we obviously go to all of those. Same with fall soccer.

In the past with baseball, same deal. Stay unless there is conflict with my 6yo. In which case I ask a mutual friend from the team to keep an eye on him and call if he needs me (less than 5 mins away)

My 6yo also does swim year round. Again 30 min and we stay
Basketball now, 1 day a week (DH coaches)
Soccer. 1-2 practices and a game a week - we stay
Baseball - is a lot more. 3-4 days between games and practices and mostly we stay. However there were a few cases where my oldest had a game or I was working concession and his coach offered to take/drop off my 6yo so he could attend practice.

I would never drop without speaking with the coaches and making sure they knew where I was and how to reach me. There have been a few kids whose parents just drop and go and the coaches end up hanging around with the kids until they get there to pick up with any idea where they are. Which I think is so irresponsible and ridiculous.

Yes, they will both keep playing sports or doing extracurricular's. They may change in their preferences but they will do something! They love it, and I find them being active and busy actually improves their school work and keeps them on a schedule/routine. During breaks, they struggle more because they slack. They think they have all this time to do their homework, but get tired, and frustrated etc. Schedules keep them focused and give them something to look forward to. They get home do their homework immediately because they know thy only have a short window and get ready for their game/practice. My oldest has been talking about his basketball game tonight all weekend. He is playing against his best friends team and can't wait to "beat" him. Smack talk...lol

[lattelady5]

Jan 11, 2016 9:43:48 GMT -5 Katiedid said:

I usually stay because the activities are only an hour.

The only thing I don't love about dd's new studio is that her class is 30 minutes. I still left last week lol It was actually amazing what I could get done in that hour without kids haha

[lattelady5]

Jan 11, 2016 9:54:06 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

I would never drop without speaking with the coaches and making sure they knew where I was and how to reach me. There have been a few kids whose parents just drop and go and the coaches end up hanging around with the kids until they get there to pick up with any idea where they are. Which I think is so irresponsible and ridiculous.

I mentioned on the other thread my dad coached. This happened a lot. When I coached dd's soccer it happened a few times. The ladies at the studio have my cell and I always let them know I'm leaving and I'm never late for pick up. There is no traffic in my town so no worries on getting stuck haha

[cjcouple]

Jan 11, 2016 10:07:21 GMT -5 lattelady5 said:

Jan 11, 2016 9:54:06 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

I would never drop without speaking with the coaches and making sure they knew where I was and how to reach me. There have been a few kids whose parents just drop and go and the coaches end up hanging around with the kids until they get there to pick up with any idea where they are. Which I think is so irresponsible and ridiculous.

I mentioned on the other thread my dad coached. This happened a lot. When I coached dd's soccer it happened a few times. The ladies at the studio have my cell and I always let them know I'm leaving and I'm never late for pick up. There is no traffic in my town so no worries on getting stuck haha

Plus it's definitely different in a gymnasium or dance studio anyway. Some places don't even have viewing areas and the class is exact times, etc.  

  

[Deleted]

Nothing yet, but ds turns 3 in March and is mostly potty trained now so I am Sooo excited to sign him up for Saturday swim lessons (he finally seems interested, mommy and me was a disaster) and also thinking t ball and soccer through our community center as he has shown an interest in both.

[mamaalysson]

DD does theater and ballet. Theater is in the late afternoon and an hour and a half, so I drop off and DH picks up on his way home from work. Dance is 45 minutes and if whoever is taking her also has DS, we drop off and take DS to the library down the street. Otherwise, I stay and read. She will start swimming again soon, and I will stay.

DS will be three in a couple months, and he will start swim lessons again. I will stay, but won't have to get in with him. Everything else he does is still parent-child.

ETA: I would be shocked if DD stopped wanting to do theater. She loves it, and it's a fantastic outlet for her. Ballet she goes back and forth on. She loves the recitals, but complains every week about having to go to class. Last year she chose gymnastics over ballet, so we'll see if what she decides next year.

[cna]

Mine both play soccer in the spring and fall. They have practice twice a week and games every Saturday and I am there for every second. They're at the point where they have been playing long enough to be good at it and I do see them continuing to play through school. They have asked to play other sports as well, but every sport overlaps their soccer seasons and it's a pretty big commitment already.

[quesyrah]

The only thing DS has done so far is swim. I stay because I have to. DD hasn't done any yet.

I have been waiting until they express interest in something before committing to anything. Now that DS is in kinder he's starting to ask about sports, etc. So he will likely do a sport in the spring.

[jensriot]

DS does swim all year, 30 minutes once a week and I stay.

DD2 does Taekwondo, usually 3 days a week for 30 minutes (1 class is 45 minutes)

DD1 does Taekwondo, usually 3 days a week, 2 30 minutes classes on Mon and Wed and 2-3 45 minute classes on Sat. She is ranked in the top 5 for 4 different events for our district.

I stay for all classes. I need to know what they are working on and I run her music for tournaments. I'm lucky that we have a very supportive and friendly group of parents to hang with.

[lexus]

Dd does a combo tap and ballet class. Sometimes I stay and watch and sometimes I go to the coffee shop right next door with the intent of grading but wind up on here.

[lala]

Jan 11, 2016 10:07:21 GMT -5 lattelady5 said:

Jan 11, 2016 9:54:06 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

I would never drop without speaking with the coaches and making sure they knew where I was and how to reach me. There have been a few kids whose parents just drop and go and the coaches end up hanging around with the kids until they get there to pick up with any idea where they are. Which I think is so irresponsible and ridiculous.

I mentioned on the other thread my dad coached. This happened a lot. When I coached dd's soccer it happened a few times. The ladies at the studio have my cell and I always let them know I'm leaving and I'm never late for pick up. There is no traffic in my town so no worries on getting stuck haha

The only issue here is that they are late for pick up, obviously that's rude. But I don't tell coaches or teacher if I'm leaving or where I was going. They have my cell in their info. If there is a problem, they'll call. 

[Deleted]

Both kids (almost 2 and 4) will do swim again when the next session starts. DD loves it, DS... does not. But we live near a lake so it's important to me that they learn early.

I want to add something else this year, but I'm not sure what. DS doesn't care about sports or dancing. DD definitely loves to dance, so I'll try that for her.

[lattelady5]

Jan 11, 2016 12:03:51 GMT -5 lala said:

Jan 11, 2016 10:07:21 GMT -5 lattelady5 said:

I mentioned on the other thread my dad coached. This happened a lot. When I coached dd's soccer it happened a few times. The ladies at the studio have my cell and I always let them know I'm leaving and I'm never late for pick up. There is no traffic in my town so no worries on getting stuck haha

The only issue here is that they are late for pick up, obviously that's rude. But I don't tell coaches or teacher if I'm leaving or where I was going. They have my cell in their info. If there is a problem, they'll call. 

I don't tell them where I'm going but I do let them know I'm leaving. I've never had a problem but if DD'S teacher came out looking for me it's nice that the ladies at the desk can tell her I'm not there.

I have no issues with leaving. I was so sad when I found out the new studio only offers a 30 min class. I'm going to miss my free hour.

[gastro]

DS1 is 4 and does swim lessons 2x a week for a half hour and I stay and watch. He also does gymnastics 2x a week for 50 min and I stay in a viewing area to watch (if he were older I would leave and run to the grocery store or something but I don't feel comfortable doing that yet).
He will start a science and experiments class in a few weeks that I am so excited for. I am required to stay for the class.

In the past we've done music and soccer. In the spring we will do soccer again.

DS1 loves activities which is why we have one scheduled every day of the week.

Ds2 is only 5 months so we've started swim lessons which I obviously have to get in the water for and that's it for now. When he's crawling I'll probably start taking him to baby yoga and Gymboree

[thecheshirekat]

DS1 does three classes at the Y - hip hop, ballet, and swim. I am required to stay in the building for the dance classes and in the pool area for the swim, and I always just get in the pool myself because we have an hour to kill between swim and ballet and I practice skills and play in the water with him afterwards. He enjoys the dance classes a lot more than any of the sports we've tried, so for now I'm just sticking with that. We may try martial arts when he gets a little older too.

The twins don't take any classes yet. We tried parent-and-me ballet when they turned two and it was disastrous, and I'm not in any hurry to try again. They can take a little time to mature before we attempt that again.

[chatterbox]

DD does weekly swim lessons with me in the water with her (she's 18 months). She LOVES it! She's been going to My Gym or Gymboree since she was 10 months and likes that a lot too. DH just informed me that she will be starting soccer in February, lol. I think she's young for it but he found a 6-week program for 18-24 month olds that he's really excited about, so they will do that once a week. We will try gymnastics and dance when she is older. She is a dare devil do I think she will like gymnastics.

[dizzycooks]

Jan 11, 2016 9:54:59 GMT -5 lattelady5 said:

Jan 11, 2016 9:43:48 GMT -5 Katiedid said:

I usually stay because the activities are only an hour.

The only thing I don't love about dd's new studio is that her class is 30 minutes. I still left last week lol It was actually amazing what I could get done in that hour without kids haha

True! One hour. It's amazing what can be done in an hour.
Dd1 does swimming once a week for 30 minutes and I stay but we took a break for a few months now that the baby is here.
When we go back to the Y she will do yoga and swimming. Both girls do some sort of ecfe class, usually a dads class so he takes them and does art and movement stuff with them. We've done dance but it was an hour from our home and my step mom was lying for it. I can't do that when I'm working and I don't know that she wants to pay for two kids dance classes. I haven't sought anything out near my house. I do know that until dd2 shows some self control I won't be putting her in much, the girl runs and I'm afraid she'll get lost/drown.

[Kcthepouchh8r]

Dd does dance during the fall-winter, swim in the spring/summer. I stay.

Ds does basketball in winter, baseball in summer. I stay.

[jnksmom]

DS does Taekwondo year round and basketball in the winter. DD takes a tumbling class once a week and is on a competitive cheer team. I think they will both continue those activities. DS loves Taekwondo and is pretty determined to be a black belt some day. He also really enjoys basketball. DD loves cheer. She has cheered for the rec league football and now competition which she loves even more.
Right now STBXH and I have been splitting the kids activities so I stay and watch DS at Taekwondo one night a week and part of DD's cheer practice two nights a week. STBXH watches Taekwondo most nights that he takes DS and only part of DD's cheer the one night he takes her. Hey practice is 2.5 hours and it's too long to sit there the whole time. DS's Taekwondo is only an hour. We drop off for basketball practice but watch games.

[ashb62]

DD (8) took dance classes for three years. Now she plays soccer and basketball. DH is her basketball coach and has been her soccer coach several times, so he takes her to practice and I just go to games. I see her sticking with those for the foreseeable future. She enjoys them and has really improved this year.

She wants to learn to play an instrument, so I think music classes are in our near future.

The boys (2) aren't in any activities yet.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Ds has tried karate, parkour gymnastics, soccer, and baseball.  He recently quit gymnastics (i was bummed about that one, thought it was good for him).  Karate was too expensive so when he didn't really want to keep with it, I was fine with that (he was also 3 at the time), soccer he did 2 years but says he doesn't want to do again.  Baseball he did last year and says he wants to do again, so I'm guessing he'll stick with that one.

DD does dance and gymnastics.  I think she will likely stick with both of those for a while.  She wants to try soccer this spring, but I have no idea if she'll like it and stick with it or not.  

Ideally, I'd like my kids to find one athletic thing they like and stick with it.  When they get a bit older I'd like them to also try something musical and something academic.  

[penguingrrl]

Julia does swim, karate, ballet, Girl Scouts and chorus. Swim and karate are non negotiable (swim because it's a life skill, karate because my brother is the teacher and it's free for us and a good life skill). She has also tried soccer, softball and basketball and they didn't hold her interest well. We did 2-3 seasons each and then she asked to stop.

Emma does karate, Girl Scouts, swim and whichever season sport is going on (soccer, basketball or softball).

Drew does swim lessons.

For the girls everything is either drop off or they stay after school for it and I pick them up late. DH has coached a few seasons of sports and has never seen a parent stay for practices. He learned the girls names quickly and had a roster emailed to him with phone numbers, so if something happened and he needed to reach a parent it would be easily done.