Family Activity Schedule
There is only so much time in the day and there is only so much money in the checking account. The car can only go so many places. Your child is part of a family, so consider the big picture when deciding on activities for each child.
Plan the overall commitment to activities so that everyone is treated fairly. That does not mean that everyone has to have the same number of activities; age and stamina of each child should be considered. Include activities for Mom and Dad as well.
Talk with your children about the activities of your family. Discuss whether a child will be allowed to participate in another activity after school is out for the summer. If one child is making a big time commitment to a sport, talk about what her homework schedule will look like. The more children understand why things are arranged as they are, the smoother the schedule will go.
Fact
Children with special needs work very hard at school. They work to improve academic skills and often attend therapy. When they go home, they still have homework to complete. Evaluate your child's stamina at the end of the day. Does she have the time and energy to go to an extracurricular activity? Make careful choices about extracurricular activities.
Arrange transportation with other families to save on time and gas. Talk with the other parents about your child's unique medical and communication needs. Provide them with your contact information in case of an emergency.
Check to make sure that family down time is a regular part of the schedule. Sometimes your family needs to have nothing to do — as a group. If an activity is always planned, your children will not know how to interact with each other without this focus.
