Should your child go for the football practice 5 days a week? \u00a0Are 3 days\u00a0enough? It is common for parents to be a little confused when it comes to\u00a0deciding how much is too much with reference to after school activities. \u00a0They argue that since most of the activities are fun (as different from\u00a0studies), children will simply lap up these classes. But, too much of fun\u00a0can also make a child sick. Here is a simple guide that will help you\u00a0decide how much is too much for your child.<\/p>\n
Kindergarten:<\/strong> \u00a0Your child is just beginning to learn to interact and get used to\u00a0discipline. His or her after-school life should be simple and carefree. \u00a0One or two classes per week are enough at the beginning. Once the child\u00a0 settles down, look for more challenging activities like a music program.<\/p>\n Grade 1:<\/strong> \u00a0One or two activities per week, play dates and playground visits are\u00a0recommended. Avoid competitive sports activities. The child is still too\u00a0young to have to worry about winning and losing. After the rigors of a\u00a0 full day at school, he or she needs a healthy outlet for pent up energy. \u00a0\u00a0Physical activities and noncompetitive sports are best for this age.<\/p>\n Grade 2: <\/strong>\u00a0Your child is old enough to voice opinions on what activities he or she\u00a0wants. Sports, skating, swimming or computers – steer him towards things\u00a0he likes. Many children begin lessons on a musical instrument around this\u00a0age. But, allow your child some ‘alone time’ during which he can unwind\u00a0and just do whatever he wishes.<\/p>\n Grade 3:<\/strong> \u00a0Socialization begins to take center stage. Team sports are a good choice.\u00a0Developing motor skills, painting, drawing etc are good too. Let the child\u00a0explore areas of interests. But leave aside enough time for the family and\u00a0for fun activities.<\/p>\n Grade 4:<\/strong> \u00a0At this age, the child will tell you what he likes. He needs to get\u00a0involved in activities that will boost his confidence. This will also help\u00a0him manage stress as this is the time when social pressure is beginning to\u00a0build. But, beware of the homework demon. Your child needs more time with\u00a0his studies. Balancing his schoolwork with other activities is very\u00a0important.<\/p>\n Grade 5:<\/strong> \u00a0The fifth grader is bubbling with energy and will want to do just\u00a0about everything. But she or he may conveniently push studies to the\u00a0background. So, close supervision is needed. Keep one or two days free for\u00a0 family time and other activities. Now is a great time to get your child\u00a0interested in community service.<\/p>\n Middle school:<\/strong>\u00a0Steer him away from TV. Get him engaged in activities that reinforce\u00a0learning. Academic performance can be improved by encouraging your preteen\u00a0to join clubs like the Girl\/Boy Scouts program, language clubs, chess\u00a0clubs etc. As a thumb rule, 16-20 hours a week of extra activity should be\u00a0more than enough. But look out for signs of burnout. \u00a0 What you select for your child and how long he should work at it is\u00a0basically decided by the child’s temperament. As a parent, you should\u00a0closely observe your child and base your decisions on feedback from the\u00a0child himself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Should your child go for the football practice 5 days a week? Are 3 days enough? It is common for parents to be a little confused when it comes to deciding how much is too much with reference to after school activities. They argue that since most of the activities are fun (as different from studies), children will simply lap up these classes. But, too much of fun can also make a child sick. Here is a simple guide that will help you decide how much is too much for your child.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":7025,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6998","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n