I have a freshman in high school and youngest is 6. My son started playing tennis at 4-5 and it has always been his thing. He has also tried other sports like swim, soccer, basketball, volleyball, scouts, chess, science Olympiad, art, piano, violin and I’m sure I’m missing some others.

My 6yo has tried and is trying new things. We won’t know until later what sticks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid basically wanted to try something new every year. Nothing has “stuck” and she is a sixth grader. It is fine!! She’s a great kid that is currently trying Battle of the Books and Model UN. She likes both a lot, but next year she could easily say “meh, I want to try something else.” And we will be happy to let her try new stuff.

I can easily see her college application essay being something like “I’m one of the rare kids that is a generalist.” And she will be fine.

6 grade! I have a 1st grader and I'm hoping he will find a couple things he'll want to stick with SOON. Coordinating new things (schedules, driving around, just getting acquainted with new activities and new parents, etc.) is kind of tough for this introvert!

Even if my a miracle your kid sticks with something at 1st grade, you will still have the same level of coordination. Practice times and locations can change by the season. Games and tournaments can be anywhere. Everything becomes more frequent as they get older. The once a week practice is now 3x per week.

19:13 here and if I wasn’t clear enough, your kindergartener doesn’t need a thing. Expose to lots of different activities and follow his interests, which will change.

My kids always found their thing from the time they could walk or talk, but that thing frequently changed. They were all about Elmo or soccer or dance or Star Wars or basketball…

My oldest is a teen and his thing this weekend along with all his friends is Fortnight since they brought back some old season. The boys are very nostalgic and can’t stop playing.

My very youngest is all into a sport and all in. She wants to try out for the most elite travel team she can find for the next tryouts. A year ago she just discovered this sport and loved a different one.

In the womb

When I was raised, my parent's wish was for us to be well-rounded.

Probably around 3rd grade

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At kindergarten level, just try to enjoy the moments of childhood. They don’t need to be signed up for anything. The feeling in this area that kids need to be spending hours each week in extracurricular activities is not healthy. It’s hard to not get caught up in it.

Many kids just dabble in different activities and interests as they grow, and that’s fine. In college is when they pick a major.

Just look for a balance in life and let them play now.

This. I signed the kids up for swim lessons. We mostly did outdoor activities and play dates. When they showed interest in something, then I signed them up but did not get attached to it being their “thing”. At different ages they found something. DS became obsessed with basketball in 7th grade. DD2 asked for gymnastics in 1st grade. DD1 is more of a reader and likes art and isn’t much of a joiner.

I’d like to know how your 7th grade DS got involved in basketball so late. By that age, teams are usually pretty set, or else they are denied a spot because they can’t make it through tryouts.

Anonymous wrote:At kindergarten level, just try to enjoy the moments of childhood. They don’t need to be signed up for anything. The feeling in this area that kids need to be spending hours each week in extracurricular activities is not healthy. It’s hard to not get caught up in it.

Many kids just dabble in different activities and interests as they grow, and that’s fine. In college is when they pick a major.

Just look for a balance in life and let them play now.

This. I signed the kids up for swim lessons. We mostly did outdoor activities and play dates. When they showed interest in something, then I signed them up but did not get attached to it being their “thing”. At different ages they found something. DS became obsessed with basketball in 7th grade. DD2 asked for gymnastics in 1st grade. DD1 is more of a reader and likes art and isn’t much of a joiner.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid basically wanted to try something new every year. Nothing has “stuck” and she is a sixth grader. It is fine!! She’s a great kid that is currently trying Battle of the Books and Model UN. She likes both a lot, but next year she could easily say “meh, I want to try something else.” And we will be happy to let her try new stuff.

I can easily see her college application essay being something like “I’m one of the rare kids that is a generalist.” And she will be fine.

6 grade! I have a 1st grader and I'm hoping he will find a couple things he'll want to stick with SOON. Coordinating new things (schedules, driving around, just getting acquainted with new activities and new parents, etc.) is kind of tough for this introvert!

Well, she is a super extrovert and so is my husband. Every activity she joins, she comes home and has some new friend. She also loves to “party plan”, and I have like 10 kids her age at my house every 4-6 weeks. As they get older, there really is no work other than driving them and signing them up. I never felt like I needed to get to know the parents even when she was young.

My biggest problem now in 6th grade is her wanting to do too much. I have to say no to attending some football and soccer games sometimes. And, we said no to Science Olympiad.

Agree that your child doesn't need a "thing" but activities at that age can be great! Many kindergarteners have once a week sports, like soccer, gymnastics, etc. Do they like running around? Try soccer. Do the climb on everything? Maybe gymnastics. Sing and dance? Theater or dance class. And I'm not suggesting to do multiple things, but trying out an activity that they seem interested is normal in kindergarten.

Anonymous wrote:Kindergarten? Goodness, your 5 year old doesn’t need a thing.

+1,000!!!

Anonymous wrote:^ Note this is just my community and school. I don't know what OP or anyone else's school is like. But my experience this year is that all the boys at least are in sports together, and that is how the kids and families socialize.

I don't know that it was all the boys but the K-1st rec soccer team was definitely the main way my son made friends in elementary school. A subgroup of them remained friends all through school and he's now off at college living with a boy who was on his soccer team in 1st grade. And my closest friends today were all moms of kids on that team.

DD refused to do sports and I think was slower to make friends in ES because of it but for her Girl Scouts (Daisies) was an alternative way to get to know more kids.

^ Note this is just my community and school. I don't know what OP or anyone else's school is like. But my experience this year is that all the boys at least are in sports together, and that is how the kids and families socialize.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid basically wanted to try something new every year. Nothing has “stuck” and she is a sixth grader. It is fine!! She’s a great kid that is currently trying Battle of the Books and Model UN. She likes both a lot, but next year she could easily say “meh, I want to try something else.” And we will be happy to let her try new stuff.

I can easily see her college application essay being something like “I’m one of the rare kids that is a generalist.” And she will be fine.

6 grade! I have a 1st grader and I'm hoping he will find a couple things he'll want to stick with SOON. Coordinating new things (schedules, driving around, just getting acquainted with new activities and new parents, etc.) is kind of tough for this introvert!

1st grade? You might be in for a shock then. Good luck.

OP this is an example of a crazy overly competitive parent. Let your kid be a kid. They will drive what they like, not you.

I am competitive, but this is not that. It's all sports, which is pretty much par for the course and necessary for kids this age to make and keep friends. There is only one boy in my 1st graders class who doesn't do any sports and he is the one that doesn't get invited to things or get picked at school. Of course we will invite him to the birthday party, and I encourage my kid to be kind to everyone, but you can't force kids to be friends with other people when 90% entire grade is together in soccer, baseball, Scouts, basketball, and hockey. We opted out of basketball this year and was pretty much the only family to do so. You can say that I don't HAVE to sign my child up, but all the other kids have been doing all of these since preK. We just moved here and I want my kid to have friends. And he wants to do all the activities.