I don't think that's much at all. Ds2 is 4.5 and does music class, 45 mins every week and a little practice most days.
I'm hoping it will help build good habits
ds1 6.5 has just stopped music because he has over an hour homework every night and he wanted rest time.
DD1 has done gymnastics this last two years. Regularly she tells me she doesn't want to go. But regularly in response I explain all the reasons that we will be attending as expected. Every term I give her the option of desisting and doing something else, but she chooses to go. So I remind her of that too.
She also does swimming lessons, but she NEVER complains about those.
So no I don't think it's too young to expect it at that age.
DD has done swimming for the last three or so years. Only occassionally is there a complaint and that's usually just because it's cold. If we can't go (it's on a Friday afternoon so if we're going away for the weekend we do have to miss out), we usually get complaints from her and have to go for a swim over the weekend to make it up.
She started dancing this year and we've had a couple of times where there has been a slight clash with a party. She of course wants to go to the party, but we (mainly DH) insist on the dancing activity that she has committed too. She still gets to go to the party, but might miss the first 30 minutes. That is an activity that she has committed too, we check each term before committing to the next one, and the teacher relies on her. It's a shame that other kids aren't like that, there is supposed to be 7 in the class and I don't think there has been a single class they've all been there for.
She starts school next year.
Why are we doing the activities? Swimming, we live by the beach, it's an essential skill. Dancing, she always wanted to have music on and was setting up little dances herself and was asking to go because other day care kids were going.
Swimming - both kids have done since 6mo old. We live in Australia, it's a life skill and not negotiable in my books. Once they can swim 1km without stopping then they can choose to stay in lessons or not.
Dance they both started at 3yo and was their own choice - they have both committed to the 1 lesson a week without grumbling. They also both do gymnastics but that's more my choice as I did it as a kids and I think it's good for strength and coordination. They can choose to do it or not, one is doing it next year but DD2 has decided not to.
My kids both do swimming, and that is all. I'm the same as Nai. We live in QLD and they just must be able to swim.
They don't do anything else yet and I will wait until they ask. I tried a dance class with DD1 about 6 months ago but she wasn't into it. She loves to dance, but she likes to dance the way she wants to when she wants too, LOL.
Apart from swimming I don't think I'd insist my kids did anything at this age though. I think extra-curricular activities at this age are about fun and exploring different things until they find something they like so I would be happy for them to try lots of different things. Maybe once they are a bit older and they are sure on some things they want to do and I have to commit to paying for a certain number of lessons then I will teach them about having to make a commitment. Not yet though, but my oldest is only almost 4
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Re: Extra curricular activities
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