What's your 3 year old's extracurricular activity level?
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Anonymous
My 3 yr old DD is in daycare full time in downtown DC. I've signed her up for lots of extracurricular activities (during daycare and outside of daycare on the weekends). This is our first child and so I really have no idea what's the appropriate amount of activities. So far, we have just tried to expose her to as many different activities that fit within our budget and schedule so she can decide what she likes/dislikes. Below is the current list of things she is doing each week. I just wonder how it compares to other 3 year olds in full time daycare. I do like to have some activities on the weekends when mommy and daddy can participate/watch. AND, I feel pressured to pay for and put her into the activities at the daycare so she doesn't feel left out when her classmates are participating. (That's a whole other issue!  )
Gymnastics on Monday (at daycare) - 30 min Music class on Tuesday (at daycare) - 30 min Yoga on Thursday (at daycare) - 30 min Swimming lessons on Saturday - 30 min Soccer on Sunday - 30 min |
Anonymous
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At 2.5-3 in full time daycare, we signed her up for one extra activity per semester/season during the daycare day (met once per week) and took her to library story time most Saturday mornings.
She's now in PK3 and aftercare with no extracurriculars at all - she does tag along to older sibling's twice a week though. |
Anonymous
| That's more than enough. We do soccer once a week and he's in preschool 3 1/2 days a week. We go to the park on other days. |
Anonymous
I felt the same pressure and signed my then 2-year old up for all four daycare activities. Turns out it was completely misunderstood pressure, as most of the kids were not in all of the classes. What I don't like is when the kids are in the same room as the activity, but not allowed to participate, because the daycare has to meet ratio requirements. Anyway --my 3yr old is in three classes at daycare (karate, music, and gymnastics, we dropped soccer) and we do swimming on Saturday. I think she's a little over scheduled, but it seems she gets something different out of each one and I don't know which one I'd drop. |
Anonymous
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Mine does ballet at preschool once a week. Our weekends are family time, she doesn't need "extracurriculars" since our time is already limited, I want to be with her then. This winter we may sign her up for swim lessons since that's a useful skill and she's interested in swimming.
This may change over this year (she's a new 3). But I think family time is more important than "soccer" or whatever we might sign her up for on the weekend. |
Anonymous
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DD started violin at 3.5. DS had soccer at the same age. We definitely were not eager to sign up for too many expensive activities. Now they're in elementary and middle school, we're still doing our best to minimize extra-curriculars, and boy is it hard! |
Anonymous
The above poster -- when I said "I think she's a little over scheduled," I mean my daughter -- not the OPs. |
Anonymous
| I hate the idea of for-pay extra activities at daycare. Either offer it to all as part of tuition, or do not do it. Maybe I'm particularly touchy about this since our daycare has kids on scholarships, and I don't want a situation where those kids are left out. |
Anonymous
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Mine will be 3 in Dec. she does part time preschool & a once a week My Gym class
I think she will do swimming when she turns 3 and can take the class without a parent but not sure yet if that will be instead of or in addition to the My gym class |
Anonymous
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My son is 3 and is in all-day preschool. He has music, art and Spanish at preschool as part of the regular program.
He has soccer once a week on Thursday evening. It's a very casual group lesson arranged my a mom in my neighborhood. He has swim lessons or a sport on Saturday through the county. We usually skip a few 6 week sessions a year to have a break - like now we didn't sign up for anything until November because we have birthday parties every weekend and it was too much. |
Anonymous
At our daycare, all the "extras" were included in the tuition. They had sign language, music, gymnastics, and soccer. Other than that, my kid did swim lessons once a week on the weekends. |
Anonymous
OTOH, I don't want to pay extra for soccer, which I don't care enough if my 3 YO thinks he plays. And I get that others might not want to pay for whatever I do care about. also, less than half of the kids are in any activity, so it's not obvious that one or two kids miss every activity (if they do). |
Anonymous
| Yikes. DS will be three in December. Daycare has a couple music lessons per week (not an extra pay 'class', it's for all the kids). Most weeks we stop in at library story time which is one evening a week. We JUST signed him up for a very casual soccer group which is Saturday am just a few weekends in the fall. That's it. It's plenty. I have no ambitions to have a robust extra curricular calendar for my toddler. |
Anonymous
| My 3 year old is in PK3 now and is doing a session of 30 minute swim lessons. Don't know yet if we will continue when this session is over. Previously she was in daycare/preschool and did the tumbling that was offered for an additional cost. That's it. |
Anonymous
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My 3 year old is in full time preschool. It's a good program so music, movement, outdoor program, etc. are all included. As an aside, I think it's a total racket when they charge extra for that kind of thing.
I just signed her up for swim lessons, but she's closer to 4 so ready for it. Nothing else and I don't feel any pressure to sign her up for anything. She's my second kid though. She goes to my older kid's activities or we have family time or we hit the library or playground. Or we hang with neighborhood kids. My personal opinion is extracurricular activities at this age make zero difference and are more for the parents to have something organized to do, which is fine. I did that with my first kid more. |