We have soccer and swim lessons. We schedule playdates with friends and trips to the park. We have jaunts that sling us near and far to museums, sculpture walks, or zoos. We bake cookies at 7a.m. and salt dough at 3pm. There are Lego building marathons and impromptu tinkering.
WHOA!
Planned fun can be just as overwhelming as scholarly lessons. When Saturday and Sunday go by in a blur of joy, but you find yourself crashing on Sunday evening, it might be time to block out a do-nothing weekend. Everyone needs to recoup at some point, and have a little alone time, no matter their age.
There is a lot of discussion about over-scheduling kids with extra-curricular activities, private lessons, and test training/ tutorial programs. But you don’t see a lot of attention paid to the idea that even fun needs to dialed-down every now and then.
When we recognize that our family has been going full tilt and is beginning to fray around the edges, we declare a “stay-local” weekend. We give our children a lot of encouragement to read a book on their own, find a quiet project, or just lay outside on the grass and count the clouds. Of course, we occasionally hear “I’m bored,” as kids never stop being kids. But with a little nudging, they quickly find an unplugged activity, like a board game, that brings a more subtle joy to their day.