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For our family, we are making our way towards the end of the school year. Like many families, our children are active in sports and other extra curricular activities but school and education is always our main focus. With Spring soccer and baseball/softball in full swing many parents are asking themselves the same question: How do you balance school and sports? While I am not an expert, I have asked myself the same question.
For many kids’ sports is a way to meet new friends and release some energy after a hard week of school but for some kid’s sports is a way to college or even a professional sports career. Sports can lead to a lot of great opportunities in a promising athlete’s life. I think it is important to realize that sports can also lead to a lot of stress for the family. Here are some strategies to balance sports, school activities and home life.
It’s important to realize that overloading a child can leave him or her feeling as though they don’t have a say in where their life leads. Take a look at an athlete’s schedule, paying special attention to the sports he is doing. How many different sports is he active in. How many meetings a week does he attend? Can the activities and meetings be reduced and if so to what extent.
If these activities are reduced will that have a positive impact on the family? If the answer is yes to any of these questions then you need to do whatever is necessary to remove some of that pressure.
Does the child really enjoy the sport or is she doing it because she thinks it’s going to make you happy? Never encourage a child to participate in a sport unless it’s their idea and they want to do it. If he is doing too many sports and there are a few that can be taken from the schedule then that’s the best way to relieve some of the pressure of school and other responsibilities.
Keeping a schedule on the fridge or near the entrance can help keep your family organized and up to date of each other’s life. Knowing what is ahead in the week will also discourage you from over scheduling the week. Scheduling too many things and not knowing how your week is going to look adds unneeded stress to the family so make sure to schedule everything onto a visual board so you can see the week ahead.
Make sports snacks or Wash sports equipment one day a week and have the kids help you with it. By doing these types of chores once a week you are making time for other things throughout the week. You are also saving money on water and hear.
How do you balance school and sports in your household?
Great advice–not all kids enjoy sports–keep trying until they find one THEY like-not one that you like. Two of my three play ball like me and the other rides horses which I would never do.
This is good advice, I try to give my daughter a chance to try out all kinds of sports and let me know what she wants to play, what she enjoys.
This is great advice. I think it’s even tougher now because kids seem to get an overwhelming amount of homework at such a young age. Add sports to that, and it’s hard to balance everything out.
Even as a homeschooler this is a hard accomplishment too. You can only do what you can, we try to encourage our kids with their gifts and their passions. As a family of 7 we cannot do everything!
Great post with some very important advise! I encourage my children to try and find what sport they would like. I think its important for them to find what fits them.
Great advice, my girls are very active in sports and we have always stressed that you have to be an all around person and not focused on one thing.