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Classes, Lessons, Teams: Are They Good for Young Children?
by Susan Ruhl

Do you remember what you used to do as a child? Growing up, I lived on a block where my family was the smallest--and we had five children! After school, my friends and I didn’t attend many classes or lessons. Instead, we went outside to play. Someone was always available to play because there were so many children in the neighborhood.

My friends and I liked climbing the apple trees on the next block and eating apples until we felt sick. We’d play for hours in the "woods" (which was really a few lots of trees that were not yet developed). Hiding from each other, making forts or secret places went on each day. We also acted out plays in the garage, finding miscellaneous materials around to serve as props. We hung an old blanket as the curtain.

Parenting in the 90's

Part of being a parent in the 90's seems to be providing more opportunities and experiences for our children than we had. Are our children going to be better off because of all these extras? Although there may be value in many of the experiences available to children today, they are participating at younger and younger ages. Also, children today often take several classes and lessons each week so that their days have become very structured. As this happens, children are able to make fewer choices in planning and structuring their own time and their own ideas. Since a child’s ability to plan and structure time and ideas for himself is the foundation of intellectual development, perhaps we, as parents, should be concerned.

When a child wakes up in 1996, she is likely to hear, "You have school, then you are going to a friend’s house for lunch, then her mom is taking you to dance class, and then I’ll pick you up and take you to gymnastics." Cer-tainly, children like to play with friends, maybe go to a class or two, but how much is appropriate in a day or a week? All children need "down time" to think, create and to just play as children. Many structured activities place children in situations where they are being entertained or are told what to do. Today. educators are hearing more and more children talk about not having enough time or wanting to take "a break." It is amazing to me that three and four-year-olds are feeling this way so early in life.

While I’m not advocating canceling all extra classes, I do ask parents to think about how many classes their children take and if those classes are really necessary.

Many times parents provide opportunities for their child early in hopes that the experiences will help that child be better at something down the road. For example, a parent might enroll a four-year-old in hockey to ensure that she will play well later. However, as an eight-year-old, she will be physically and intellectually able to play and understand the sport much more quickly and easily than at four.

Doing What Everyone Else Does

As a parent, it’s hard not to get caught up in "what everyone else is doing." When my daughter was younger, I began to feel guilty that she was one of the few children not attending outside classes. When she was three, I enrolled her in a swimming class. She quickly let me know she did not like going because the water was cold and she had to wait to do anything. I still remember all those three-year-olds hanging onto the side of the pool, shivering. After three classes, I stopped bringing her when I realized that she was not enjoying the experience. Next, she tried ballet. I took her to a "try out" class and she participated during most of the session. After class, I told her that I was going to sign her up, but she said she didn’t want to go. I thought this was odd, as she seemed to have really enjoyed the class. However, as we talked about it throughout the week, I discovered that she had thought she would wear a tutu and dance around as she pleased. When she saw that she had to wear a navy blue leotard and follow the teacher’s instructions, it didn’t meet her ideas of what dancing was all about.

When my daughter turned five, I asked her if she wanted to play soccer like her friend next door. "Yes, Mom!" she replied enthusiastically. But once again it was the uniform she was going for! She was the only child on the team who wore her uniform to practice and around the neighborhood. It turned out that it was the practice time each week that she really enjoyed (probably because practice was more relaxed and she was only with friends as opposed to a team she didn’t know). Before each game, she would ask, "Is this when we have to play another team? Oh, no!"

So what do children do at home if they are not in classes or watching TV? All children have their own interests, be it building, art or fantasy. If there are choices for these activities at home and encouragement to make decisions on their own, children will plan their time, though some children may need help in the beginning. Children do not always need a lot of materials or expensive toys to foster creativity, imagination or problem solving. Simple, everyday things can encourage children to create ideas, solve problems, make choices and slow down to enjoy life. As the song by Tom Hunter, early childhood songwriter, says, "Isn’t that the way life should be...?"