Swiming Lesson

Extra curricular activities: how much is too...
It's an issue many parents struggle with - how many out of school activities should their child be involved in?

Melbourne psychologist Andrew Fuller, author of Tricky Kids (Finch Publishing), says scheduling lots of activities is not a bad thing as long as you prioritise. "Spending time as a family must come first," he says. Fuller suggests blocking out at least two family times a week - one evening and one afternoon. "It enables everyone to engage with each other, with no rushing around."

And findings from a 2009 US study buck the convention that an over-scheduled kid is a stressed one. The study showed participation in organised activities, even lots of them, is linked to positive outcomes in school, emotional development, family life and their behaviour. Meanwhile, the under-scheduled kid was more withdrawn, less emotionally mature and had lower self-esteem.

But don't panic if your child has not started violin, golf or art appreciation yet. Fuller says kids who come to things later can often be more successful. And while it's not unusual for teens to start losing interest in extra-curricular activities as they move through high school and their study loads increase, Fuller says it's still important that they stick with them.

"Resilient kids have at least one other peer group outside of their school peer group," he says. "They stop their social field from narrowing."

Tip: If your child is just starting school, keep extra activities to a minimum in the first term - they'll be tired enough.

from bodyandsoul.com.au

The Tatapilla is going to start a swimming lesson for the second time next week. Hopefully, this will turn out okay and he'll learn something and we can see improvement. He's like a duck to water but problem is he opens his mouth and swallow cupful of water everytime he goes under. He is also lazy when you teach him to swim, he doesnt kick but walks.

So yeah, I'm not in the position to say that the Tatapilla is burnt out as pci hosting is the least of his worries.. I wish. He's enjoying every moment so we're all happy.

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