Team Sports and Music Lessons

It is tough trying to participate but not overschedule and every family has a different level of overschedule.

I have three children and all 3 swim competitively year round (well when the pools are open which we are still waiting for). I picked swimming because I grew up swimming (as did my three siblings) and it is so easy on the schedule in that they practice at the same time even though varied ages. I know that is not the case for all teams, but even as they move through levels for the most part they are together or at least similar times. Meets are usually once/month, one Saturday per month. So while it is year round it does not feel overwhelming because it fits our schedule. I also find with homeschooling it gives us afternoons free so even if evening have sports, we still have plenty of margin.

I have friends who’s kids do different sports. Some families do it so that each child does one sport per season, so if child A has spring sport, child B does a fall sport. That can work but if a child really enjoys it and wants to pursue that sport at a high level more time will be needed to practice and compete. Other families enlist the help of friends so their children join a team with friends and they help car pool and things like that.

As for music, my kids all did piano. They had two instructors that could do 30 min lessons at the same time (for 2 of the kids) so in an hour we could get all three children through lessons once/week. We choose piano because we had a piano and I can play so easier for me to help.

I did not really give my kids a lot of options. We tried soccer when they were young (my husband is a soccer player even as an adult) but the schedule was tough because of my husband’s work schedule. I decided a long time ago they had to do a sport that I could handle the schedule with and swimming won out. They all enjoy it a lot and sleep great after days with swim practice, haha, so it has been a win win.

I have a friend who’s girls play softball and do very well! but it is a time commitment since different ages they are on different teams and different tournaments, but they made it work for them. I have a friend who’s girls show dogs, they can do it as a family even though different ages. There is such a variety, some can see more challenging on the schedule than others, but if you find something that you and your kids enjoy it seems to work out.

My husband takes the older two (7&9) to piano lessons in the evening. For sports, we do a church Wednesday night program every summer for a couple months. Girls do soccer while boys do baseball. Ages 5-12.

We take a break from piano for the summer, so it’s not too many nights out. We tried T ball one summer, but two nights a week for a 3 and 5 year old was too much.

This summer a family from our co-op is organizing soccer for boys and girls together, pre-school-6th grade.

A friend does frisbee nights at the park once week all summer with any friends who want to come.

I have 6, ages 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, and 14.  I have a low tolerance for running around and have tried to find sports the older ones can do together when possible, or mostly limited activities to one per season (regardless of how many kids are in it). The older 2 both did cross country together a few years ago.  The oldest (only girl) has played fall and spring jr high homeschool basketball the last 2 years.  It is a lot to manage when she is doing that but thankfully the seasons are short, about 6 weeks long, so we’ve made it work.  She wanted to play jr high volleyball also but I said she could only do 2 of the 3 (out of the 2 bb seasons and the volleyball one) and she choose both bb ones.  My next two have done some jiu jitsu but I made them stop for the duration of her bb seasons because it’s too much.  They are in the same jiu jitsu class.  The 7 yo wanted to do it also but would have been in a different class so I said no.  I started going to a gym with free child care near the jiu jitsu place during their classes, and they have a free youth martial arts class during that time one day a week (it’s offered 2 days but only coincides with jiu jitsu on one) so he went to that while I was at the gym and his brothers were at jiu jitsu.  My daughter wants to play homeschool JV bb this year (assuming the season happens) and that will be a much longer season.  I am hoping she can get a lot of rides as her coach lives quite near us and so does another girl on her team.  I told my husband that I need him to take her to any travel games as there is no way I can take all of them.  My 11 yo is old enough this year for the hs bb, but doesn’t want to play thankfully.  I would probably make him wait another year if he did as it would be too much to keep up with two bb schedules.  My boys have asked to play spring baseball but I have said no as I know that schedule is crazy and they’d be on different teams with different practices and games.  They are doing a weekly kids running club for the summer which is nice since they can do it together.  I have not restarted jiu jitsu for them though it is open again because I don’t want to be that busy.  We may do it in the fall until bb season starts.  Oldest is doing a couple bb camps and weekly open gyms this summer and that is enough running around for me.

Our piano teacher comes to our house.  Currently only the oldest takes lessons but the oldest 3 have in the past.