Kids Activities - You and Yours

[milano]

The other thread had me wondering. What activities/sports were you into when you were young? What are your kids into now?

I always am interested in the varying levels of activities kids participate in and love getting ideas for things for my own kids to try.

[milano]

I played soccer through middle school, softball through high school. Piano lessons from K-12. Girl scouts for many years, maybe through junior high?

My kids so far have both done soccer. We are trying t-ball and baseball this spring - neither kid is really excited but this is J's last year to try it before it starts getting "serious". So I told them if they hated it I wouldn't make them do it again but we are going to try something new. I'm hoping M will be into softball, we'll see. Both have been doing swimming lessons and are really into swimming in general, so that might be something we look into for them in the future. Hoping to get M in a girl scouts troop this fall!

[mapleme]

I was super athletic up until about 3rd grade when some medical stuff slowed me down and I never really picked it back up (until about 13 years ago when I started exercising daily). I used to do tennis, gymnastics, horseback riding, swimming/lifeguarding, and just lots and lots of running. I performed with a chorus and children's opera company too. That was probably the activity that I threw myself the most into.

My school had a really great afterschool program that made all of that stuff really easy in a way that I cannot imagine organizing for my kids now. Like, with zero physical parent involvement I used to do: French, Spanish, cartooning, tennis, gymnastics, pre-algebra, "games and sports," and a bunch of other stuff that I cannot remember. I would go to whatever classroom after school and then walk over to the after care (on school property) after the class was over. And my dad would pick me up at 6. Damn, I wish that my kids had some option like that.

[mc13]

We were an extremely busy family. 4 kids all 2 years between each of us. We all played multiple sports and instruments.

I played:
basketball 1st-12th grade
Volleyball 4th-12th grade
lacrosse 10th grade-4 years Division I college.
Piano 5-18yo and a few 1 credit classes throughout college
flute 4th grade-8th grade
Also an ethnic (Eastern European) dance group 3rd grade-college.

All 3 girls are now playing lacrosse and I’m coaching. They all take swim lessons. R does horseback riding. E and A did dance for a year then gymnastics. They loved both but now they want to try Irish dancing. R started piano lessons with me. She’s almost through the premier level book so maybe we should start looking for a teacher that’s not me and on a regular schedule.

[milano]

I would like to get my kids into some music lessons. I'm sure I could teach beginner piano but J is set on only learning how to play the tuba. I don't know that tuba lessons for 2nd graders are a thing though? Lol. He is also interested in drums, which would be fine too.

[milano]

Bless your parents mc13!!

[mc13]

Feb 8, 2022 14:24:02 GMT -6 milano said:

I would like to get my kids into some music lessons. I'm sure I could teach beginner piano but J is set on only learning how to play the tuba. I don't know that tuba lessons for 2nd graders are a thing though? Lol. He is also interested in drums, which would be fine too.

I love this. 😂 My older brother played the tuba! He actually started off with piano and saxophone then switched to tuba in 8th grade when he joined the marching band. Around here, it seems like band class starts in 4th grade so maybe start with at home piano to help learn to read music? Reading music is half the battle to picking up other instruments.

[mintyblueair]

L is 5 and he does regular swimming and piano lessons. N is 3 and is only doing swimming right now. She did a little t-ball course last summer but I don't think we'll do it again.

Swimming is the only sport I require my kids to do, for obvious safety reasons. At a certain point I won't push it any further unless they're interested.

When I was 11 I decided I wanted to play the cello. I took lessons for three years and stopped when my instructor pressured me to participate in competitions and events where I was formally judged. I always wished I had stuck with it, though, so I decided to put my kids in piano lessons early in life. It's the one thing I plan to strongly encourage them to do, but I won't pressure them to be formally competitive with it. I think musical literacy is important and I think/hope it'll be something they appreciate later in life. L started at 4, then took a break because of the pandemic and started again at 5. I think it's going really well and we've gotten into a really good groove of daily practice. I'll start N in lessons when she's 5 (and C, too, though that's a long ways off!).

L just finished a round of swimming lessons and I'm strongly considering putting him in Scouts. I'd like to put N and C in Girl Guides when they're old enough, too. These groups appeal to me for the skills/friendship/confidence building aspect. But I feel like I need to do a little more research first.

[mintyblueair]

As a kid, I tried a lot of different things. I did soccer once, basketball through school once, badminton through school. I did figure skating for a few years and dance from 4yo to 12yo. Swimming. The aforementioned cello lessons. And then horseback riding was where I found my thing at around 11yo.

My parents put me in a one week multi-sport day camp at the university every summer from around 7yo to 12yo, and I actually really loved that. We live near a university and I'm hoping they offer something similar for when our kids are a little older.

[mintyblueair]

This also reminds me of when I was 15 and my mom decided I needed to be enrolled in a wholesome activity to counteract the fact that I was smoking a lot of pot. So I chose a pottery class and made a series of ashtrays in the shape of pot leaves. She saw my work at the end of the class and was like 😱

[ovenrack]

I played soccer through fifth grade when the teams became more competitive, which I didn’t enjoy. I did gymnastics and dance when I was a younger kids (until 8 or so?). I joined a Girl Scout troop in 6th grade, and continued through high school, that did a ton of hiking and backpacking, so that was great for me.

I gently ask that parents think carefully about how they refer to kids who may not enjoy group sports, or competitive sports. There are many ways to move your bodies that aren’t sports. High intensity sports aren’t the gold standard for every human body. Referring to resting or off-seasons as lazy may be something they internalize forever, so consider being mindful of language.

I have a lifelong love of hiking and A and I fell in love rock climbing together. I’ve run off and on as an adult, and I enjoy it when I prioritize it.

My kids aren’t in any organized sports. They do not want to do it, and I won’t force them.

We go for rambling walks or longer hikes with the kids most weekends, and they’re outside climbing or playing or ice skating on the local pond most days after school. We also do many projects on the house on weekends, and the kids are fully involved with carrying wood, measuring, using power tools, lifting things. H is learning to chop wood.

Apologies if this comes off weird, I just want to make it clear that the lives of non-sporty people can be fulfilling, fun, and healthy.

[charlotte]

As a kid I mostly did soccer & horseback riding. I also tried out other activities like softball, track, piano, orchestra, & theatre.

My kids must do at least enough swimming to be able to be safe around water. DS1 does recreational soccer by choice and really likes it.

I’m also interested in letting him try some type of music or art activity in the future if we can make time.

Like milano I’m not hoping for a superstar that will require any crazy commitment.

[charlotte]

Also baseball is a hard pass for me. I’ve got my fingers crossed neither child will have the urge to play baseball when they’re older. I remember from my tagging along to my brother’s games that it can be like 4 hours long.

Thank goodness soccer is limited to 60 mins haha.

[charlotte]

ovenrack it’s not weird, I think it’s a really important reminder. 💜

[mintyblueair]

Feb 8, 2022 15:48:56 GMT -6 ovenrack said:

I played soccer through fifth grade when the teams became more competitive, which I didn’t enjoy. I did gymnastics and dance when I was a younger kids (until 8 or so?). I joined a Girl Scout troop in 6th grade, and continued through high school, that did a ton of hiking and backpacking, so that was great for me.

I gently ask that parents think carefully about how they refer to kids who may not enjoy group sports, or competitive sports. There are many ways to move your bodies that aren’t sports. High intensity sports aren’t the gold standard for every human body. Referring to resting or off-seasons as lazy may be something they internalize forever, so consider being mindful of language.

I have a lifelong love of hiking and A and I fell in love rock climbing together. I’ve run off and on as an adult, and I enjoy it when I prioritize it.

My kids aren’t in any organized sports. They do not want to do it, and I won’t force them.

We go for rambling walks or longer hikes with the kids most weekends, and they’re outside climbing or playing or ice skating on the local pond most days after school. We also do many projects on the house on weekends, and the kids are fully involved with carrying wood, measuring, using power tools, lifting things. H is learning to chop wood.

Apologies if this comes off weird, I just want to make it clear that the lives of non-sporty people can be fulfilling, fun, and healthy.

I completely agree with this. As a non-sporty person, I do not see organized sports or regimented/high-intensity activities like working out or running (for example) as a necessary part of being healthy or active. I consider myself to be both of those things without participating at all in sports/exercise programs/running/etc.

[rugger]

Growing up, I played competitive soccer from K-8th. Basketball through school 4th&5th grades. Rock climbing and aggressive inline skating in high school. Rugby all through college. My dad, brother, and I ski'd and snowboarded every winter growing up.

I also played the drums (snare and set) in middle and highschool.

... ... ...
R tried rugby and soccer in Kinder, and has chosen to stick with soccer thus far. She also likes to swim (we need to get them back in lessons) and rock climbing. This winter, she is trying indoor roller hockey.

A was supposed to try rugby in Kinder, until 'Rona ruined everything. She's played soccer and lacrosse, but neither of them seemed to really peak her interest. She's interested in rock climbing, so we're looking into programs now.

We have a keyboard 🎹 and ukulele at the house that they've dabbled with. I would like to get them lessons because I think music is a great activity for brain development.

[Speedy]

I did A LOT when I was in elementary school, before we moved to Florida.
I did - track and field, soccer, softball, basketball (which was traumatizing), volleyball, swimming, piano, acting, and horseback riding. I don't feel like my brother did as much, and a lot was through the school, but it really was a lot and I was pretty busy most of the time.
After we moved to Florida I really didn't do much, partly I think because of money and partly I don't think my mom knew where to look for activities. I did do synchronized swimming for almost 2 years as a young teen, and as an older teen I volunteered at a therapeutic horse ranch in exchange for lessons. I also played saxophone in the school band for 2 years.

My kids have obviously not been in much yet. I was taking F for swimming lessons, buuut that was in the beginning of 2020 and we all know how that went. I've been watching them both lately and we'll probably start looking into dancing for them. MH works with a guy who also teaches hip hop dancing and he's talked to him off and on about signing the kids up with him. He had a little showcase a few years back (before we had the kids) and some of his dancers were quite young but already really into it.

[mapleme]

Oh man, I forgot that I did carpentry K-5 too. That was THE BEST. There was a big fire at my elementary school when I was in 2nd grade and it burned a lot of land, including the playhouse for the preschool. So, in 3rd grade my after school class built them a new playhouse. Me and another kid built a whole wall by ourselves (following the teacher's plans and measurements). In other years we did stuff like building bookshelves and boxes. I wish I could find something like that for my kids.

[rugger]

ovenrack I think that's a great reminder and not weird at all.

I hope I didn't come off as the pushy parent that criticizes my non-competitive kids. We try to be very mindful of how we present and word things and to support their interests. We also love hiking and taking bike rides together, and they are often our playing with friends when the weather is nice. We def wouldn't force them to be involved in an activity they weren't interested in. We just want them to try out a bunch of things to see what they enjoy so they don't just sit on the couch after school and ask to play iPad games

[jnu76]

Feb 8, 2022 14:24:02 GMT -6 milano said:

I would like to get my kids into some music lessons. I'm sure I could teach beginner piano but J is set on only learning how to play the tuba. I don't know that tuba lessons for 2nd graders are a thing though? Lol. He is also interested in drums, which would be fine too.

FWIW- a band director’s 2 cents about tuba:
First, that’s fantastic that he’s interested! I would get him going on some basic piano to get him reading, and encourage him to sing if he enjoys it to develop his ear. Your school district probably starts band in 4th or 5th grade. He’ll be too small for tuba then, so they’ll probably start him on trombone or euphonium. It should be a pretty easy switch when he’s in about middle school.
There are never enough kids who want to play tuba, so keep encouraging him!
Musicians have personalities closely tied to their instruments usually. Yes, they’re stereotypes, but they’re pretty consistent, kind of like breeds of dogs. There are probably golden retrievers who don’t like love and attention, but I’ve never met one. Tuba players tend to be laid back, friendly, kind to everyone, and funny. If this sounds like your kid, it’ll probably be a good fit.

[rhymeswithdisco]

Musician here too. My mentor used to put this in every program he published (middle and high school music teacher)

[charlotte]

mapleme I went to carpentry camp one summer! But I thought one of the instructors was dreamy so I kept “accidentally” cutting myself with the tools so that he’d have to take me inside to get bandaged up. Like 3x daily. Just chopping myself with an axe so I could be alone with dreamboat guy.

Looking back at that I am alarmed at my fifth grade self lol.

[DGM]

Feb 8, 2022 14:24:02 GMT -6 milano said:

I would like to get my kids into some music lessons. I'm sure I could teach beginner piano but J is set on only learning how to play the tuba. I don't know that tuba lessons for 2nd graders are a thing though? Lol. He is also interested in drums, which would be fine too.

You are much nicer than me or maybe your house is better sound proofed LOL. ETA L wants to learn the flute when her hands are big enough. She and J have recorders and tin whistles for now.

[DGM]

I wasn't allowed to do organized sports as a kid because of my mom's messed up mentality that girls don't play sports 😬. Thank God she let that go to support my niece who is a KA college soccer player. I took piano lessons from about age 6-15. Otherwise I just played with neighbor kids or read books.

L as a first child has tried so many activities because of amazing Parks and Rec Departments or libraries where we've lived. Musical Theater. Ice skating. Ballet. Music and Movement classes. Swimming. We also went to the zoo or children's museum and library storytimes weekly along with church and MOPS so she was a busy toddler. J has done swimming, soccer, and Flag Football and cares for none of it LOL.

L was in beginning Gymnastics last summer, but I pulled her bc of covid. Hopefully we can return there some day. She starts her first actual soccer league with practices and referees next month!

[stringy]

ovenrack, I strongly admire the life experiences and skills your kids learn through your own awesomeness. I wish I had the skills/space/ways to do some of the things you do

I try hard to mindfully not talk negatively about the lack of competitive sports my kids want to do. It was hard for me at first since my life revolved around it (soccer, tennis, basketball) - but I also have to stop and remind myself of the negatives and pressure that came from it. BM though, not so good at mindfully stopping asking M if she wants to play soccer or basketball. Its a hard no every time and I hate that she still asks. I don't think M thinks its funny.

M does piano, swim and jazz right now. P does swim and ballet/tap. She will do soccer in spring and I think BM signed her up for skating.

Its odd. The pandemic made us all slow down and spend more time unstructured, but yet it also made me feel like kids were missing out. Like P is 5.5 and can't swim 3 feet. We are very much a beach/boat family so that seems important. Its so weird, this parenting life thing.

[stringy]

Oh -M did theater pre-pandemic and it was great for her. It hasn't picked up again yet for various reasons, but I hope it does soon and she still wants to do it.

[mintyblueair]

I've been reading a bit about Scouts. It sounds like it can be a pretty big time commitment but I can't actually get a good sense of what it's really like; I gather that it's very troop dependent? I like the idea of it but I don't want to feel like it takes over our lives. Hmm.

[sarenu]

I did zero activities until I could do them on my own in junior high.

I was a third child and for some reason my parents never signed me up for anything. They wouldn’t let me be a daisy/Girl Scout. And my mom had a terrible experience with dance. So that was out.

If you can’t tell I’m still bitter about this and am now panicking because I haven’t signed F up for anything. (She wants to do dance so I will sign her up once we know about the house situation and timing).

But really, I wasn’t into team sports. However, my parents never did anything to get me involved in anything. Yet my sisters did scouts, tennis, and bowling.

[mapleme]

This thread prompted me to look and see what options there are now that my kids are both school aged. Specifically I was looking at summer camps. Our summer camp options are slim and any camp that has a "theme" (art camp, woodworking, swimming, nature, gymnastics, etc) are 9-3. That is so utterly maddening for families that don't have a stay at home parent. I found *one* that has an aftercare program to 5pm, but starting at 9 is still a non-starter for me. School starts at 8 here (the school bus picks up at 7:25), do camps assume that people have different jobs in the summer??? But the programs don't have to change their behavior because they still fill up. Because we don't have enough options for everyone. Ugh.

[stringy]

Feb 9, 2022 10:15:43 GMT -6 mapleme said:

This thread prompted me to look and see what options there are now that my kids are both school aged. Specifically I was looking at summer camps. Our summer camp options are slim and any camp that has a "theme" (art camp, woodworking, swimming, nature, gymnastics, etc) are 9-3. That is so utterly maddening for families that don't have a stay at home parent. I found *one* that has an aftercare program to 5pm, but starting at 9 is still a non-starter for me. School starts at 8 here (the school bus picks up at 7:25), do camps assume that people have different jobs in the summer??? But the programs don't have to change their behavior because they still fill up. Because we don't have enough options for everyone. Ugh.

Didn't you know that the only job mothers have are teachers and therefore more flexible in summer?


Our elem schools start at 850 - my kids are barely out of bed at 725!  (and yes its a pain, i'm very glad I dont have to commute!)