Reply to Extracurriculares for a 6 year-old, is this too much?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It only sounds like a lot because of how you've laid it out. The language "class" is not a class -- it's an activity he's doing with his babysitter. This is like saying he's in an art class because he does art projects with his babysitter.

The soccer is a no-brainer. Piano at 6 is fine though see how it goes -- some kids have no willingness to practice at this age and a weekly piano class with no practice is kind of pointless.[b] It's really the practice that makes learning an instrument feel burdensome[/b]. If he actually likes it and practices willingly on a schedule then you might discover you have less time for the other extras.

I also think the tennis is fine but also you might find it's something he does seasonally (just in the summer). But there's no harm in doing it.

This schedule would be a lot harder for an older kid because the classes and practices would be longer and they'd be expected to work on skills on their own too. But for a 6 yr old this is not a big deal.[/quote]

Bolded depends entirely on the kid. I have 2 who don't mind but also don't love instrument practice. I have one who does it for fun and enjoys every minute. Some kids really take to it, even at a young age.[/quote]

PP here. Yes -- this was actually what I was trying to convey. It's impossible to know whether the piano class will be too much or not because it's not really about the class but about the practice. At this age most instructors will recommend 15-20 minutes of practice about 4 days a week. It's not really a lot of practice and should slot pretty easily into the day. But if your kid hates it then what it becomes for you is several hours of reminding and cajoling every week in order to get him to practice for like 40 minutes total. And that is what becomes burdensome. If he happily sits at the piano without being prompted and practices then it will feel like nothing.

If he doesn't practice and you aren't willing to find a way to get him to practice the lessons will not really be worth it even though it's only 30 minutes a week. This is why some kids don't do instrumental music until they are older (and why some never take to it). It's about the time you put in OUTSIDE of class.[/quote]

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