Ask HN: What activities should I enrol my kids in?

10 points by scarytom 4 years ago | 7 comments

I have 2 children aged 1 and 3. They both started swimming lessons at a few weeks old, and this has been quite successful. They enjoy swimming and are starting to pick up some skills.

So my question is: what things have you signed your kids up to, and what was successful and why?

I'd like them to have lots of experiences so they can discover what they enjoy, but there is a limit to the number of things they can try. I know they are very young now, but time goes by quickly and I want to be prepared.

I'm considering more sports, but also music or dance classes. There are also non-physical things like chess club to consider as they get a bit older.

kandruszkow 4 years ago |

Maybe not the activity itself but a great thing to introduce at a young age it languages, they will definitely find it helpful in the future and they consume the most at an early age. There are probably a lot of schools (at least in my country) that teach language in a fun and interactive way to such young children.

ossm1db 4 years ago |

I developed a rule of thumb for my kids (boy/girl): one individual sport/activity, one team sport, and (boy/girl) scouting. Some parents do even more, but we feared either they or we would get overwhelmed. The individual activity included ballet, bowling, gymnastics, swimming, or whatever they wanted to try out.

blockwriter 4 years ago |

Fly fishing, if you happen to live in very specific areas. It gets them outdoors, is very physically technical, very strategic, and they can tie their own flies to engage creativity and encourage craftsmanship. Sailing for similar reasons.

scarytom 4 years ago | |

Thanks for the suggestion. I hadn't considered fly fishing, but I grew up learning fishing from my father, and the kids have already been out on his boat a few times. I think you are right that fishing encompasses a wide range of skills.

qwertyuiop_ 4 years ago |

Get them out more instead of staring at screens. Toddlers as farm hands feeding animals. Or hiking. This is the age to get their senses going and stimulate muscles & bones.

kreid1 4 years ago |

A few weeks old?! I have a 3 week old son and this sparked my interest. Really cool you did that, I’m going to look into it!

scarytom 4 years ago | |

My eldest had her first lesson at 9 weeks. The younger one had to wait a bit longer due to lockdown. Babies take really well to the water, and I think it is a great bonding exercise.