As your kids grow older, there is no doubt that they will be collecting a rolodex of hobbies – and it will inevitably be your job as parent to keep track of them all. The solution should never be to stifle your child’s exploration and discovery of what it is that brings them joy, so when they come to you with a slew of hobbies they’re wanting to explore and clubs that they’re wanting to join, all we can do as parents is be supportive.
Even so, it can feel like a difficult task to manage your child’s schedule of extracurricular activities alongside your own work schedule and other responsibilities. And when you have multiple kids and even more schedules to juggle, it becomes an even more complex task.
So how do you do it? Here are a few tips for juggling soccer training, ballet classes, debate prep, and all the other extracurricular activities without fumbling the whole stack.
Stay on top of schedules by keeping a detailed diary
If you’re expecting your kids to maintain busy extracurricular schedules in the next school year, why not keep a 2024 diary? That way, you can begin the year with a solid resource for scheduling that’ll help equip you with solid organisational habits.
And speaking of organisation, diaries can offer a lot of versatility when it comes to arranging schedules and all their information in a way that suits you best. For example, you can practice colour-coding, using flags, and other ways of organising all of your notes so that they just make sense to you.
Keeping a diary should also be considered a genuine superpower for parents with multiple children, as the visual organisation can help clear brain fog, allowing you to easily identify what activities fall on which day and for which child. Keeping a physical diary can also give you a physically tangible grasp on how far off milestone events are like grand finals or assessments, giving you the tools to effectively assist your child in preparing or training for these upcoming deadlines.
And arguably the best benefit of all is that the physical act of writing in a physical diary can actually boost your memory – ensuring that you become better equipped to do all of this schedule juggling as your kids continue to learn and grow themselves.
Get involved in their extracurricular activities
Although it may initially seem less productive – especially when there may be so many different activities to get around – sometimes being a little more involved with some of your kids’ extracurriculars can not only help you stay on top of their schedules, but can make doing so just as enriching for you as it is for them. That and being close to what’s going on will help you know how your child is doing, when they might be able to afford to miss a lesson (if you or they really need the break), and how to otherwise help your child meet their potential, make the most of their time, and just have fun.
Getting involved in your children’s extracurricular activities can also be the perfect opportunity for some family bonding. Showing an interest in the activities that bring your child joy will help you to get to know them on a deeper level. This evolution of your parent-child relationship can only help you maintain open communication with your child as they enter their adolescent years. Start forming that common ground and cultivating those organic shared interests with them now to ensure that you can continue to connect deeply with your child as they expand on their own interests and knowledge.
Communicate with other parents
Keeping your finger on the pulse with the goings-on at your kids’ soccer club can naturally help you stay on top of the club’s calendar and fill in any gaps in your own scheduling. And the best way to stay on top of the goings-on at any extracurricular activity is to chat with fellow parents!
There are a few ways you can maintain open lines of communication with other club parents. For starters, you can just chat during club practice and after-practice events. Or you could start a group chat to help you organise a carpool alongside sharing notes on the club schedule and upcoming games or other events.
Having a relationship with other parents could also make it easier for your child to form friendships there that might even be able to blossom beyond the class or activity itself. Befriending the parents of your children’s friends is also a great way to build community with your children in their own world. This can help parents maintain insights into how their child is doing, which is especially useful for parents of teens or tweens who are unwilling to share of their own accord.
Encourage your child to focus their passions
Sometimes, your children can go a little overboard with extracurriculars. Whilst you may want to encourage them to explore fully the things that pique their interest, it is very true that sometimes kids can be very temperamental when it comes to their hobbies. So encourage your kids to fully explore each of the commitments they make when it comes to their after-school activities. When it’s clear that they don’t wish to commit, that’s no reason to fret. Instil in them an understanding that these commitments aren’t without a cost.
Of course, from here it’s imperative that parents are willing to invest in the activities that truly bring your child joy. If your kids take up cooking classes and love all the work they do in them, then that class stays. But it’s always important to teach them gratitude for their extracurriculars and other opportunities as well. When your kid appreciates one or two of these hobbies more thoroughly, rather than halfway committing to a much larger number, then they’ll be sure to glean far more value over time.
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Keeping young minds and bodies engaged and active as they develop is vitally important. A child’s extracurriculars have the potential to develop into lasting hobbies as they enter adulthood and, in some cases, can even define their careers.
With that, it’s important to give your child space to discover their passions. Through it all, parents must support their endeavours fully without overloading themselves as well. In time, however, your juggling will grow easier as your kids become independent and learn more about who they are. For now, just enjoy the ride.
