Managing the Preschool Years : Weighing Activity Options for Preschoolers & Striking the Right Balance

Weighing Activity Options for Preschoolers

Back in “Participating in Enrichment Activities,” we discussed ways to select
the structured activities in which each member of your family will
participate.

Table 1. Should You Involve Your Preschooler in an Enrichment Activity?

Answer the question on behalf of your child.		Enter the number of your answer
a. Do you want to find out if your preschooler will like the activity? No Yes Already know your child will like it
b. Does something about it interest your child? No Don’t know Yes
c. Does it sound like fun? No Yes
d. Will participating in the activity make your child a more well-rounded person (for example, add physical activity to an inactive lifestyle, expand the child’s knowledge)? No Yes
e. Will the activity help your child attain a goal (for example, physical fitness,improved coordination)? 1. No 2. Maybe 3. Yes
f. Do you and your child like the people involved with the activity? No Don’t know Yes
Total
Scoring:
5–7	Don’t spend your time on it.
8–10	Try it if it fits easily into your family’s and preschooler’s schedules.
11–13	Try to work it into your schedules.
14–16	Give it priority over other choices.

You’ll want to keep in mind a few considerations that are particularly relevant to a preschooler’s schedule:

• Although your
  child may express an opinion as to whether he would like to sign up for a
  certain class, discovering what sorts of things really hold your
  preschooler’s interest is largely a matter of trial and error.

• All
  preschool activities require adult time, too. First, there is the time
  to get your child ready for the activity. Then there is the time to
  transport her there and back. In addition, many programs require a
  parent to stay in the room.

• Some
  classes are designed for parents to actively participate along with
  their children. If you think you or your child would like for the two of
  you to spend a little more time together, then one of these classes may
  be the answer.

• On
  the other hand, if you feel you could use a little more time in your
  day without your preschooler at your side, then you may want to steer
  toward an activity or two that let you go accomplish something else—or
  just sit quietly and read—while your child expends some energy.

Try to remember that no
matter how appealing an activity sounds, if it doesn’t fit smoothly into
your family’s schedule, then it’s not the right choice. On the other
hand, if the family’s schedule doesn’t allow time for the preschoolers
to have activities of their own, then the schedule needs some
adjustment. Allocating time to benefit all family members is always
somewhat of a balancing act.

To do list

Use the guidelines in Table 2 to adjust your preschooler’s activities to create a balanced schedule

Table 2. A Preschooler’s Day

Activity and Target Time	Place	Schedule A (Hours)	Schedule B (Hours)	Schedule C (Hours)
Sleep Target = 11	Home	11.00	11.00	11.00
Personal care Target = 1	Home	1.00	1.00	1.00
Eating	Home	2.00	1.75	1.50
Target = 2	Preschool		0.25	0.25
	Day care			0.25
Enrichment activities	Home	2.00
Target = 2	Preschool		2.00	2.00
	Day care			0.50
Quiet time or nap time	Home	2.00	1.75	1.25
Target = 2	Preschool		0.25	0.25
	Day care			0.50
Structured time	Home	2.00	1.00
Target = 2	Preschool		1.00	1.00
	Day care			1.50
Self-directed time	Home	2.00	1.50	0.50
Target = 2	Preschool		0.50	0.50
	Day care			1.00
Flexible time	Home	2.00	2.00	0.75
Target = 2	Day care			0.25
Total		24.00	24.00	24.00
Schedule A: Home all day Schedule B: 4 hours of preschool a day Schedule C: 4 hours of preschool + 4 hours of day care a day

Striking the Right Balance

Striking the right
balance for your family means making sure that the needs and interests
of everyone are taken into account and accommodated on an evenhanded
basis. In one sense, that’s what this whole book is about: organizing
the family’s schedule so that it works for everyone. Striking the right
balance for your preschoolers means making sure that they are not just
relegated to tagging along with the rest of the family.

But we don’t mean that you have to cram every free moment with a structured preschool activity. For a young person, everything in the world is a new experience. Every task, no matter how repetitious to an adult, is a learning opportunity to a four year old. So, although preschoolers don’t always need a structured activity, they do always need time to process what they’ve experienced throughout the day. In part, this is why young children need more sleep than adults. Some quiet time during the day also helps their learning.

HELP OR HINDRANCE How many times have you, or another parent or older sibling you know, said something like, “She helped me bake the cookies, and it took me three times longer than if I’d done it by myself”? A simple adjustment to this way of thinking will help you feel as though your schedule is much more on track. Let’s say baking the cookies by yourself would normally take you 30 minutes, but with your child’s “help,” it takes you an hour and a half. And let’s say that you would like to spend an hour of “quality” time with your child every day, but you find that making the time is difficult. Now, instead of saying that baking the cookies took you an hour and a half, why not think of this situation as having spent an hour and a half of quality time with your child and having managed to get freshly baked cookies as a bonus. You’ve exceeded your goal of time with your child and still managed to bake the cookies! So, next time you’re ready to tell your young child you can play with him after you’ve dusted the house, remember that preschoolers love to emulate and help you, and then hand him a feather duster. Why is it that he sees vacuuming the carpet, scrubbing the sink, and doing the laundry as fun, and you don’t?

After you take into account
the amount of time a preschooler needs for sleeping (11–13 hours),
eating, and personal care, you’ll see that her day can fill up pretty
quickly. How you need to structure her time at home will depend on
whether she is at home all day, or in preschool, or in preschool and day
care, for part of the day. Table 2
illustrates how a preschooler’s time might be allocated. You should
take a close look at your preschooler’s schedule to make sure that her
use of time is properly distributed.

To do list

• Select chores for your preschooler that match her abilities

• Set up a preschool planner