Between soccer practice, music lessons, tutoring sessions, art classes, karate lessons, and hours of homework when does a kid have time to just be a kid? It seems that more and more children are being over scheduled. Every precious minute of their day is scheduled, from the time they get up until they time they go to bed. There is always something that has to be done, leaving no time for a kid to just play.

Kids are under so much pressure these days to out perform their peers. They are expected to be the best student, the best athlete, the best kid. Stress and pressure are something most adults are familiar with, it comes with the territory. But part of the joy of being a kid is that you don’t have to deal with all that stress and pressure, yet. By over scheduling our children we are taking away that very precious gift, we are taking away their chance to just be a kid.

I read two articles recently, this one and this one, both talk about the pressures kids face to be the best and out perform their peers. Parents are often the ones putting the most pressure on their children. They over schedule them, have extremely high expectations for stellar grades, and often voice their disappointment over a bad grade or bad game louder than they voice their pride over a good grade or good game. Starting younger and younger kids have to be thinking about how everything they do or decide not to do will impact their chances of getting into a good university. Every parent wants to see their child be the best they can be and get into the best school they can but to what expense, or rather whose expense.

Before we start enrolling our children in every possible activity we need to consider a few important things first:

• Why do I want my child to participate?
• Does my child want to participate?
• How will this activity impact the family as a whole, both parents, the child involved, and siblings?
• How many other activities is my child involved in and will this new activity cause him/her to be over scheduled?
• Does my child still have time for the very important and creativity building activity, play time?

Asking yourself and your child a few simple questions before you take on a new activity can ensure your child are only involved in activities that they enjoy, are important to them, and don’t make them too stretched when it comes to time. Remember that one of the most important things you can do for your child is to just give them time to be a kid.