Time management key in balancing kids’ activities, experts say

[fgoodwin]

Time management key in balancing kids activities, experts say

 

http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2006/02/12/news/news001.txt

 

To say some students are busy as bees is an understatement.

 

By KRISTA LEWIN, Staff Writer

Published on Sunday, February 12, 2006 10:10 PM CST

 

Maintaining grades and social ties are sometimes more than the average school student can handle. But for Shelby Corbell, Mattoon Middle School eighth grader, homework and socializing with friends are just a part of the activities she adds to her itinerary.

 

Corbell participates in softball, basketball, volleyball, track, scholastic bowl and band. Some activities are sprinkled throughout the school year, while others overlap.

 

I enjoy all of them, said Corbell.

 

Keeping organized and having a calendar are the ways she deals with her busy schedule.

 

And most importantly, Grades come first, Corbell said.

 

Some students are capable of handling additional activities, while others break under the stress and may need intervention from an adult to help with time management.

 

Susan Harding, nationally certified psychologist and Mattoon school district psychologist said, Today more children than ever before, like adults, are involved in far too many activities than they can realistically handle.

 

Recently, Harding received a call from a parent indicating her child was anxious, having trouble sleeping and that he was tired all the time. A doctor said the child had no medical problems and then referred the child and parent to Harding.

 

The psychologist asked the woman about the childs schedule.

 

His mother told me that, in addition to school, he was involved in three team sports, church activities, Boy Scouts, and had guitar lessons twice a week, said Harding. Finding nothing else to explain the childs symptoms, I suggested his stressful schedule might be the cause.

 

The mother told Harding her child could not be stressed because he thoroughly enjoyed everything he was doing.

 

However, when I spoke with her son, he indicated he missed playing games with friends in the neighborhood, Harding said. Such simple things as riding his bike, playing touch football, and watching movies were important to him.

 

Many parents feel if their child is involved in multiple after-school activities, then they will have a leg up when they apply for college, Harding said.

 

Tim Condron, assistant principal at MMS, said middle school students are offered many choices when it comes to the extracurricular activities. Added to all the changes they are going through, it can be stressful, he said.

 

When MMS added girls softball to the lineup of extra-curricular activities, Condron said the season overlapped with the start of girls basketball.

 

When we have sports overlapping, our coaches try to make the practices shorter and our teachers, who work in teams, try to decrease the workload, Condron said.

 

Michele Sinclair, assistant principal at Mattoon High School, said high school students also have to budget their time wisely.

 

MHS participates in the Big 12 conference and this requires long trips to away games, Sinclair said. When games are scheduled on week nights, sometimes the only time the athletes have to finish their homework is on the bus, Sinclair said.

 

Condron and Sinclair encourage students to talk with parents and or school staff if they are feeling overwhelmed or need advice about scheduling.

 

We want the students to be successful, said Condron.

 

Condron suggested parents and students talk to the coaches or activity sponsors before the students sign up so they will know the schedules.

 

We talk to our seventh and eighth-graders at the start of the school year about becoming overwhelmed with school work and activities, said Condron. We try to make them aware of it.

 

Kim McQueen of Windsor, parent of Bailey, 10 and Brittany, 14, said she and her family have a calendar with big boxes so they can write their schedules on it.

 

The calendar shows where everybody is going to be, said McQueen. My husband and I try to work it out where one of us is at a game. We dont want to be over stretched and we dont want to send our kids to these activities and not know what they are doing.

 

Bailey McQueen, a student at Windsor Elementary School, is active in several activities including cheerleading, sports, church youth group, student council, BB gun and 4-H.

 

Mrs. McQueen wants her daughters to experience different activities, but said the parents have to set limits.

 

If it upsets our family harmony or if it interferes with church, then it has to go, said McQueen.

 

But McQueen said they also teach their children responsibility and commitment. If they sign up for something, they need to finish the season unless they are injured or if it interferes with their grades, she said.

[funscout]

I've been wondering how kids manage when they are overbooked with activities. My brother was very busy in High school with a sport Fall, Winter, and Spring, as well as band, Boy Scouts, and Church Youth Group. He managed to make Eagle Scout despite his busy schedule, and I asked my Mom how he did it. (I was away at college, so I didn't see him live this on a day-to-day basis) My Mom pointed out that they wouldn't let him get a job during the school year (we all detassled corn in the summer - Yuck!) and he didn't have the best grades - mostly C's. He never seemed stressed, and he wanted to do all the activities, so I guess that's why he succeeded. Even though his grades were only average, he got a good job after college, and is a successful, welll-rounded fellow.

 

I'm sure it does depend on each child's personality, and I don't think my older son could handle a busy schedule. Right now he's involved in Boy Scouts, band, and Church Youth Group, and that's plenty for him. We do recreational sports as a family, so he doesn't miss out on sporting opportunities. Both of my boys value their "down" time, so we make sure they get plenty of it.

[Backwoods]

Managing the schedule before it manages them is important. We try to limit our kids' activities, but they have so many opportunities and interests. We encourage them to see things through, and to this end we ask them to carefully consider the future requirements of each thing. Right now My two daughters are both Junior girl scouts and my son is a Cub Scout. They are each allowed one sport per season, and no multiple teams (yup I know kids that play soccer on 2 or 3 leagues!). But now Maggie has a horse and Noelle is in acting lessons... at least Alec still plays with bugs in his spare time and doesn't feel the need to go beyond good old little league and scouts!

 

I wonder what kind of role model I am for this right now, being a little overextended myself on the volunteer front! Oh well, I have done some neat stuff recently within and without scouting. I will narrow things a little bit as my obligations are completed. Hopefully I can manage good time management for them!

 

by the way I would STRONGLY recommend Richard Louv's book "Last Child in the Woods" as it relates to this very topic.

[fgoodwin]

BW, welcome to the Forums.

 

I posted a couple of notes about Louv's book last summer:

 

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=96115

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=100005

 

I also have the book, but due to my own lack of time management, haven't yet been able to sit down and finish it!