Can you overextend a toddler?
My son is 3, which means he’s suddenly eligible for all sorts of extracurricular activities (otherwise known as energy-burning-so-he-doesn’t-run-circles-around-the-house activities).
So there he is … signed up for everything I could get my hands on. Gymnastics: One night a week. Swim lessons: Two nights a week. Soccer: Practice one night, and games on the weekends. Yes, he’s only 3.
There may be a misconception here that I’m sort of a stage mom. A “boys-need-sports” stage mom. But really, I just want my toddler to be active from an early age and to experience various sports so that he’ll be open to more than just one activity. I don’t want him to get into couch-potato mode.
I just know that all the running around can leave me a bit running-ragged. My son seems to enjoy it but ends up pretty cranky by the time it’s time to go home or leave the activity. Carrying him kicking and screaming through the gymnastics facility’s parking lot makes me wonder if it’s really worth it.
Any thoughts? Do you have your young children in sports? How do you make sure you have enough down time in your child’s day? Comment here or email me at esmith@opubco.com
-Erica Smith
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I think you can overextend a toddler. But as long as you’re letting them do things at their own pace, and not pushing them too hard…(a little encouragement is always OK, of course)…then they’ll be fine. It is better not to become one of those crazy sports parents who make their kids play school basketball (or football, baseball, softball, soccer, etc.) during school, and then make them join summer leagues, fall leagues, after school leagues, and whatever else they have. Unless the kid wants to of course. If a kid doesn’t really like a sport, but you force them to play so you can live out your own dreams through them, they’ll start to hate the sport and eventually hate you.
OK so that is more a problem when they get older. As a young child, having them in several different activities gives them a better opportunity to figure out what they really like. They might be a pro at basketball, but if they don’t get the chance to try it, how will you know? If he hates gymnastics, well now you know for next year.
I think a good rule is, if they have at least 3 to 4 days off a week where they aren’t doing any activities, then they’ll be OK. The younger they are, the more time off they need I think. And they should have a few hours every day (even when they have activities going on the same day) to relax at home, play by themselves, and with friends or the parents. I always read to mine every night, no matter how late it is or how tired we are. Even if it is only a few minutes a night, it lets both of us go to bed on a good note.
Good luck in the sports world!