ARE YOUR KIDS DOING TOO MANY ACTIVITIES?

WITH MUM-OFTWO AND SOCIAL COMMENTATOR ANGELA MOLLARD

Have a look at your family’s weekly timetable.

Does it resemble anything like this? Monday: swimming. Tuesday: band practice. Wednesday: soccer practice, then tutoring. Thursday: scouts. Friday: sleepover. Saturday: soccer game and band rehearsal.

If so, you could be one of the families who are under strain because life revolves around too many extracurricular activities. A new study has found children’s activities dominate family life, causing stress, financial strain and a lack of closeness.

The study conducted in England discovered 88 per cent of children had activities on four to five weeknights, with 58 per cent of them doing more than one in an evening.

The study’s author, Sharon Wheeler, said while parents thought they were doing the right thing by keeping their kids fit, extending their friendship groups and improving their job prospects, the upshot was less quality time as a family.

‘A busy organised activity schedule can put considerable strain on parents’ resources and families’ relationships, as well as potentially harm children’s development,’ she said.

Some parents subscribe to author Malcolm Gladwell’s premise that ‘10,000 hours is the magic number of greatness’ – that is, that practising leads to proficiency. However, studies show 40 per cent of children are sleep deprived because they’re too busy.

Psychiatrist Shimi Kang also says children need time for unstructured play – every day – because it reduces stress, helps them become more creative and better at problem-solving.

Families also need to have dinner together at least four nights a week to reinforce bonds, she argued.

‘YOU LOOK AT YOURSELF AND ASK: WAS IT OUR FAULT? WAS IT SOMETHING WE DID? I LIKE TO THINK THAT IT HAPPENED FOR A REASON, PERHAPS SOMETHING WASN’T RIGHT, OTHERWISE IT COULD EAT YOU UP FROM INSIDE.’ Mike Tindall, husband of Zara, father of one.