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Holland http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-vanderkam/the-notsooverscheduled-ch_b_700257.html
An interesting article - Are We Over-Scheduling Our Children
Every September, I like to scroll through the bios of a group of young people known as the Davidson Fellows. Chosen by the Davidson Institute for Talent Development (a Reno-based nonprofit I consult with), these teens are recognized for rather stunning original projects. Fourteen-year-old Meredith Lehmann, for instance, used trip data from thousands of U.S. counties to analyze how epidemics spread. Anna Kornfield Simpson, 17, developed a chemical detecting robot.
But even beyond these projects, no one could accuse these young people of coasting. Simpson, for instance, also plays flute and piano, and according to her bio, "One of Anna's main challenges for her project was finding time to research. Due to her schedule of AP and college classes, Youth Symphony and extracurricular activities, she often ended up working on the robot during school holidays and winter break."
Phew, right? Indeed, some folks reading this may be thinking overscheduled, a word that parents and educators like to stew about every fall. Kids feel so compelled to build a college-worthy resume, the story goes, that they're cramming their days (and their winter breaks!) too full.
But when I get to meet these young people at the annual award ceremony in Washington DC, they're hardly anxious bundles of stress. Indeed, many talk of being happiest when they're busy and challenged.
I think they're on to something this back-to-school season. Studies find that for all the angst about kids' schedules, most kids spend surprisingly little time on homework and organized activities. Indeed, many kids would be better off if they -- like the Davidson Fellows -- did more.
Let me explain myself. Ever since kids have stopped spending their days in factories, pundits have been mourning the alleged decline in children's leisure time. As far back as 1939, a report in Childhood Education complained about an increase in organized activities. Modern pundits write books lamenting "hothouse kids" or "overachievers" and making "the case against homework," to quote various titles.
Finish the article by going to the link above.
about 1 year ago - Comment
Brandie I think kids are happiest when they are working on something they love (doesn't this also hold true for adults and work, so it makes sense this would also apply to kids). I think too many kids are over-scheduled doing things they don't necessarily want to do, but feel they have to do in order to get into a "good" college, so they can have a "good" job - which of course is defined by making a lot of money so they can buy "good" things and have a "good" life with a "good" partner. Except what we forget as we funnel kids into doing all this "good" stuff is that that may be light years away from their hopes and dreams and goals.
That said, kids still need to be getting enough sleep - it's important. and I know when I was in high school doing all that "good" stuff, I was also averaging like 4 hours of sleep. It's a miracle I didn't kill someone driving to and from all that good" stuff I did. And I sure hope I never drive my kids to those extremes at that age.
Laura may think kids need to be doing more and more and it's all good. I still stand by the fact that kids don't need to be doing more at all. They just need time to do the things they love and enjoy.
Although I will agree that tv is probably watched too much - but did those studies look at high pressure schools? Because we have quite a few by us (who boast of very high test scores, of lots of kids taking AP, and a high % of kids who go on to enter college) and that average of 43 minutes of homework a day - yeah, some of the kids by me would love that if it were true!
about 1 year ago
juliepippert I think it varies by kid. My younger daughter does better with schedules and activity. My older daughter needs a lot of downtime after school. We try to keep a balance of go and stay on the weekends. All that said, I know my limits, too. So I have to consider all of our needs. As such, the kids have one extracurricular activity with school and one extracurricular activity away from school.
I think all in all, it's important to have free time. I think kids need to have time to just be, whether it's running the yard with friends, sitting in a bean bag reading, watching a TV show, doing a craft, or whatever they fancy in that time.
So maybe these kids are good at learning how to cope with an intense schedule -- but do they know how to do downtime? Alone time? Unscheduled time?
about 1 year ago