Activities....too many? | ADHD Information

Once my 10 year old daughter was able to particpate in activities I encouraged her.  She currently loves soccer and is on a traveling soccer team.  At one point witin a one year span she was doing weekely piano lessons, traveling soccer, rec soccer, Girl Scouts and swim team in the summer. There were weeks that I had an activity every single day of the week. She seemed to handle it, I did not.

I have calmed it down somewhat.  I dont have two sport activities at one time.  She currently does Piano and girl Scouts.  Traveling soccer starts next week. 

One of the main reasons I have her in so many is to try to teach her while her brain is forming about being part of a team, learning patience, taking your turn, listening to authority figures, etc.  I am hoping that these things will work into her natural DNA with developing her brain.

I am curious as to what other parents think of this and if your child excel at activities.  My d loves sports and would do all kinds if I let her.

 

Yes, my daughter is also in quite a bit, although a lot of what she's involved in now is through her school, which is a performing arts charter school. She currently takes drama, voice, and visual arts at school, and also takes gymnastics in the evening once a week, ballet once a week after school, and piano or guitar once a week. She also recently became a member of NJHS and will have some meetings and volunteer work for that. This sounds like a lot, but it's working out pretty well for us. My daughter loves the arts (and gymnastics - she would like to be good enough to compete, but isn't) and would be involved in everything if I let her. We have had times in the past where the activities have gotten to be too much and then we've made a change. But I think if your child is happy and handling the activities and school well, and you are doing OK with it, then it's fine! If not, then something needs to change. I know some families that only allow one activity at a time, but that just wouldn't work for us.
In the past I've worried about my daughter being overwhelmed and too tired out, but I think she actually does better with more involvement. If she doesn't have something to do, she tends to be a TV/computer-zombie. I worried when she got a part in the school play this past fall about how she would handle all the rehearsals, but she absolutely loved it. I would go to pick her up from school at 6 in the evening and she wouldn't want to leave! And she kept up with school well too.
I also think it's vitally important for kids (and especially kids with ADHD who often have a hard time in school) to develop talents/skills/interests that they have. This gives them something to feel good about, be excited about, and a positive direction to go in.