Youth activities

Bob Dobbalina

Miki Dora status
Feb 23, 2016
4,361
4,771
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My daughter is 5.5, is in TK, and lives with us half the time.
My son just turned 2, goes to a neighborhood daycare, and lives with us full time.
My wife and I work full time.


We're late to the game, but my 5.5 y/o in particular needs to be pouring herself into some activities at this point.
What youth activities did you get your kids into?
What experiences seemed to be positive? What would you avoid if you could do it again?
 

Swallow Tail

Billy Hamilton status
Oct 6, 2017
1,739
3,070
113
Your Mom’s House
I have a 17 yr old n a 20 yr old. Daughter’s passion is horses - she’s been riding since 6, particularly the training of them aspect. She did dog agility w our GSD when she was quite young. My 17 yr old son’s passion is physics and math. He also loves x-country and track. Neither have any interest in surfing or playing music (my 2 passions) though my daughter swam competitively for a number of years. They’re quite different obviously from each other and myself.

I mention all of that to lead into my “2 cents” / bit of advice:

Expose them to lots of different types of activities and give them the opportunities to find their own personal passions and support them in that.

one regret: there was an awful after school program my daughter was in during late elementary school and we kept her there longer than we should have bc it was very convenient for me work-wise. I should have got her out of there sooner. So, your kids should always come first

I’ll mention one other related thing. We all hear n read about how lame “participation trophies” are etc but here’s a much better perspective on that, and what I’ve tried to instill in my kids:

We cannot control outcomes/results - it is what it is. What we do have control over is the process, the hard work, the effort. That’s what the focus needs to be on. If we do that, then the chances for success goes up exponentially; we can’t predict when, where and in what form the success will be exactly but that’s alright. … and it is my humble opinion that that effort is worth celebrating.

signed,
Proud Dad
 

ElOgro

Duke status
Dec 3, 2010
32,206
12,181
113
My daughter is 5.5, is in TK, and lives with us half the time.
My son just turned 2, goes to a neighborhood daycare, and lives with us full time.
My wife and I work full time.


We're late to the game, but my 5.5 y/o in particular needs to be pouring herself into some activities at this point.
What youth activities did you get your kids into?
What experiences seemed to be positive? What would you avoid if you could do it again?
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My granddaughter does gymnastics. Her brother plays fútbol. Both require transportation to and from. I think you’ll find that with pretty much any activity.

5 to 7 is a tough age period as they’re in the initial stages of socializing outside of the home. My kids were brought up in a small town where many people are related and those that weren’t were well known. We were able to cut the little savages loose and they ganged up with their cousins and neighbors to do what they wanted.

Music?
 

92122

Michael Peterson status
Jul 29, 2015
2,613
1,048
113
Such a simple yet sophisticated question here. I'm trying to get ahead of this with my 1.5 y/o. :cool:

Like what if you put the things you've always liked to do in front of them time and time again and they dont bite? WHat if you then ask them what they want to do and they cant / dont answer?? It can become a real pickle I'd say if you have a kid that doesn't get into anything cool that teaches discipline and other life lessons they can put into anything they do.

My buddy bottom lined it once for me when he said to his kids, you will participate in at least 1 sport and if you dont choose it yourself, we will choose it for you. If you want to do more than one, great, we will support you as long as you put the effort in. Pretty simple really. You dont want a mentally and physically weak kid.
 

hammies

Duke status
Apr 8, 2006
15,615
14,264
113
We tried to get my oldest kid into sports as a kid:

Baseball? Didn't like it.
Hoops? Didn't like it.
Tennis? Didn't like it.
Sailing? Didn't like it.
Surfing? Didn't like it.
And so on.

He got to high school and discovered water polo. Bingo!
 

Firebird

Gerry Lopez status
Jun 5, 2010
1,176
1,174
113
OC
Sailing.
My middle one is in Maryland at St. Mary's. No full rides for sailing, but we get help.
Where would you rather be in August? In Lancaster on a soccer field in 110 degree heat? Or watching your kids race from the bar of a yacht club in Santa Barbara with other ocean oriented dads? Easy.

Point Loma HS has many national championships and people have made their careers from their sailing experiences.
 

silentbutdeadly

Duke status
Sep 26, 2005
33,799
23,661
113
Tower 13
Gymnastics: Great for being in amazing shape, coordination, etc. Cons: Expensive and no breaks. It's a full time year round thing.

The boy did gymnastics for a bit, then track, now golf. Just playing around. He's really good at skateboarding.

I think the key is to expose them to as many activities as you can so they'll find something they really like.

Both of my kids don't surf :foreheadslap:
 
Jul 8, 2008
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What Swallow Tail said. Best thing is to expose them to lots of different sports/activities as you don't know which one, if any, will click for them. It's a bit of a crap shoot, the right coach can get a kid pumped on a sport, the wrong one can turn them off it. And their interests may change over time. My soon to be 13 year old took his first baseball lesson at 4 and fell in love with it. It's all he wanted to do for years. He still plays but now all he really wants to do is surf and ski.

For more actionable advice I'd say take time out to see what's available in your area and pay attention to time frames. Spring sports sign ups can be in the fall and can fill up quickly. Fall sports signups can be during summer, etc. You don't want to be the parent putting your kid on the little league wait list and wondering if they can get on a team.

Also you can pay attention to the impact each thing will have on you. Swim meets take forever and your kid may only swim in one event. Club soccer and travel baseball can keep you on the road for multiple weekends in season. From my experience every experience has it's strengths and weaknesses.
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
3,349
808
113
Malibu, CA
Check out your local parks programs. Los Angeles county parks have amazing programs that run for 6-8 weeks at a time. Usually once a week classes and only $10 for the whole course. My kids 9 and 11 now, have done in no particular order. Tennis, soccer, flag football, track and field, parkour, field hockey, indoor rock climbing.

The indoor rock climbing class just ended and I still can't get over how good of a deal it was. $10 per child and they got once a week 2 hours of instruction for 2 months including rental shoes and harnesses. Kids loved it and now I'm going to take a belaying class so that they can keep going to the gym and using the top ropes.
 

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
43,705
18,215
113
Petak Island
We're late to the game, but my 5.5 y/o in particular needs to be pouring herself into some activities at this point.
Surfing, with you on the beach filming with the long lens.
Custom board - Rumaner makes great customs for that age group.
Post-surf session analysis is a great bonding experience between the two of you.
PM me if you need info regarding great homeschool programs.

:shaka:
 

sdsrfr

Phil Edwards status
Jul 13, 2020
5,978
11,475
113
San Diego
one regret: there was an awful after school program my daughter was in during late elementary school and we kept her there longer than we should have bc it was very convenient for me work-wise. I should have got her out of there sooner. So, your kids should always come first
yep, easy for parent hard for kid is rarely if ever the right call.

It’s amazing how quickly we fall for the easy out even as the best intentioned parent.

my wife and I have a litmus test whenever we are doubting our current path - and almost always we’ve found what’s harder for us is better for them in the long run.
 

crustBrother

Kelly Slater status
Apr 23, 2001
9,313
5,510
113
My daughter is 5.5, is in TK, and lives with us half the time.
My son just turned 2, goes to a neighborhood daycare, and lives with us full time.
My wife and I work full time.


We're late to the game, but my 5.5 y/o in particular needs to be pouring herself into some activities at this point.
What youth activities did you get your kids into?
What experiences seemed to be positive? What would you avoid if you could do it again?
the best thing i did as a parent BY FAR was passing along my love of outdoor recreation to my boys by doing it with them

so many great memories!

as adults now, i see their love of the outdoors and the time they spend there as a major source of energy and health (mental and physical) for both of them.

i regret ever purchasing them smartphones. should have made them pay for that sh!t themselves. very thankful wifey and i were on the same page with minimizing their screentime - especially when they were very young.

and like @ElOgro mentioned... music is excellent

good luck, @Bob Dobbalina !
 

Swallow Tail

Billy Hamilton status
Oct 6, 2017
1,739
3,070
113
Your Mom’s House
yep, easy for parent hard for kid is rarely if ever the right call.

It’s amazing how quickly we fall for the easy out even as the best intentioned parent.

my wife and I have a litmus test whenever we are doubting our current path - and almost always we’ve found what’s harder for us is better for them in the long run.
Well said. This right here will likely be the most important bit of insight into parenting that’s gonna show up in this thread IMO.
 

Kento

Duke status
Jan 11, 2002
69,032
21,461
113
The Bar
I wouldn't sweat it about being late to the game at all. You aren't in the slightest.

If you're working full-time, try some of the after-school enrichment programs. Art, music, steam, sports, etc. TK is young but the school should mention what they offer, usually through a 3rd party that'll charge. It's at the school too, which will become clutch when you have multiple kids doing after-school programs. But, like Swallow Tail said above, pay attention to what it is and above all, make sure your child is enjoying themself. Don't be afraid to pull them. None of this is the be-all end-all of existence.

YMCA maybe having programs? CYO also has stuff too, as far as athletics.

One thing I really liked about baseball (and it's definitely coed) vs. something like basketball is that every kid gets the same chance to hit, field, run the bases, etc. My son really enjoyed little league. Had to swallow the ego a little but even though it was fun, he skilled out. I did assistant coach his team and that last season of fall ball was a lot of fun together - some great memories for sure.

Was also apparent he needed a bit of discipline and self confidence, martial arts is something he's been at going on 5 months and he enjoys it a lot. He only has an older sister and we don't live in a neighborhood that has a lot of kids his age so he isn't getting that roughhousing that boys need. With the martial arts, he does and it is a positive.

Activities away from school are good because they also open other potential circles of friends.

It may/will drive you nuts trying to juggle so many activities but taking the time to be there for your kids is worth every moment. Whether it's recitals, games, chess matches, whatever, being there means a lot to them. Even more so with activities that you can do together, great bonding.
 

doc_flavonoid

Michael Peterson status
Dec 27, 2019
1,797
3,318
113
5 1/2 is a good age to start piano lessons. youll spend hours on practice, recitals and driving them around to lessons.

some say learning at early age shapes children's growing brains and boosts their learning power, aiding in the development of logic, abstract thinking, memory and creativity.

plus as they get better its sweet to have their music in the house. all my kids spent years at it.

one of the things i miss now that theyre out of the house
 

nolibos

OTF status
Oct 24, 2019
197
398
63
Central California
Daughter 18, Son 14. They both have been studying piano since about five (they get to quit when they are done with High school). They are both pretty good, but they practice just enough to get through it.
Daughter studied dance for a bit.
Son has been in scouting since he was very little, he's in a troop that does a lot of backpacking.
Starting in seventh grade they both do cross country and track (non negotiable). Running is a big part of my daughter's mental health.
They have both been backpacking since they were about four. Multi day backpacking trips are normal for them.
My wife and I are not into any team sports so we dodged that bullet (no driving all over the place for games and practice), but if they had shown any interest we would have supported it.

Disclaimer: This is all my wife's doing, I am very much a selfish surfer/beach bum.