Creating a schedule for your child can help provide structure, teach time management skills, and allow them to participate in activities they enjoy. However, it’s easy to go overboard and overschedule your child, leading to stress and burnout. Here are some tips to help you manage your child’s schedule in a healthy way:
Plan Activities Based on Your Child’s Interests and Needs
When deciding which extracurricular activities to enrol your child in, make sure you take their interests and developmental needs into account. A 6-year-old may thrive in a sports team and art class, while a 15-year-old may prefer academic clubs and volunteer work. Ask your child what they want to do and try to find activities that align. This will increase their engagement and reduce the chances of burnout. If you foster children with a fostering UK agency, make sure to find out what their interests are and whether or not they enjoyed extracurricular activities before coming to stay with you.
Aim for Balance
Strive to have a balance of structured activities and free time in your child’s schedule. Too much structure can cause stress, while too little can lead to boredom and lack of challenge. Aim to have a mix of academic, creative, physical, and social activities. Make sure there is also plenty of unscheduled time for free play and relaxation.
Avoid Overbooking the Same Time Block
When scheduling extracurriculars, be strategic about which days and times activities take place. Avoid double-booking things at the same time, e.g. a sports practice and music lesson. Cluster activities on certain days to allow gaps on other days. Your child will benefit from having some weekday evenings or weekend days that are totally free.
Limit Concurrent Activities
While variety is good, joining too many activities at once can overwhelm your child. Generally, 1-3 organised, ongoing activities at a time is reasonable for school-aged kids. Rotate activities as interests change. For younger children or children new to scheduling, start with just one activity.
Set Reasonable Time Commitments
When signing your child up for activities, pay attention to the time commitment involved. Avoid overextending them with activities that require excessive practices, travel, or preparation. For example, if they join a competitive, travel football team, don’t also enrol them in three other activities.
Prioritise Down Time and Family Time
Make sure to leave time for relaxation, free play and family time. Heavily scheduled children often don’t get enough downtime to recharge. Try to keep at least one weekend day totally free. Protect dinner time and evenings to spend time together as a family.
Take Care of Basic Needs
Make sure your child’s schedule allows for adequate sleep, healthy food, exercise and free time – don’t let extracurricular activities crowd these out. Aim for 10+ hours of sleep and an hour of exercise each day. Schedule daily family meals together. Basic needs should take priority over activities.
Listen for Signs of Overscheduling
Pay attention to both physical and emotional signals that your child may be overscheduled, like moodiness, meltdowns, headaches, stomach aches or sleep issues. Scale back if needed. Let your child help decide which activity to drop. Saying “no” to some opportunities is okay.
Schedule Free Time First
Instead of squeezing free time around activities, schedule it first. Block out downtime, play time and family time on the calendar, then fit activities around that. This ensures free time doesn’t get pushed out. Let your child take the lead on how they want to spend this time.
Reevaluate Regularly
Check in as a family every few months about how things are going. Have your child help assess their schedule and interest in activities. Decide together if any changes need to be made. Don’t feel locked in – be willing to drop or change activities.
Creating structure while avoiding overscheduling is a balancing act. With a thoughtful approach, you can help your child benefit from activities without becoming overburdened. The goal is to find a schedule that works for your family.
