Long Days for little kids...

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

CaitsMoM

Proud Parent
My daughter is 5 and she's about to start some really long days. Kindergarten from 915 until 330 and then gymnastics Mon, Wed, & Friday from 430 until 630. I don't know how she is going to handle that (also Daisy's on Tuesday for an hour!!!)??? Any tips on how to help kids handle these long days with gymnastics.....
 
Well firstly make sure she is getting a great nights sleep every single night, without that you have lost the game before you begin. Develop a good bedtime routine that is relaxing and that makes sure she is getting 10 solid hours of snooze a night.

THen make sure she is eating well and often and that she is well hydrated. If it seems to be a bit too much don't be worried about yanking her from gym early or giving the occasional class a miss, coaches are used to that and they know that adjusting to new schedules is hard.

THis time of year is always a bit of a challenge with new things happening, just make sure you are aware of when she has almost reached her limit and then take some down time.
 
Wow--when you spell it all out like that, those are some long days! I am assuming that they don't have naps anymore in kindergarten do they? If they eliminate the nap and still have the full day kindergarten, then I would suggest having a fun snack prepared right after school. Dinner, obviously will have to wait until after practice those days. The only advice I can really offer is be prepared for days where there will be meltdowns. Because they will happen. 5 year olds can be very moody and especially with a new schedule of school added in. They have a lot of adjusting to do. I would explain to her coach that she is a new kindergartner and that on practice days she may be tired. She will get used to the schedule as she gets used to going to school each day. Good luck and keep us posted!!
 
My kindergartener did it last year. Slight differences though. Her bus came at 6:45am. So she was up at 5:45. She went to daycare after school ended at 3. I would pick her and her sister up at 4. Take them to gym. Three days a week she was there for the same times. On Monday, her sister has tumbling so we were there an additional hour. Her bedtime is 8. So that gave us an hour and a half to eat and do homework and take a bath. The key to it is staying structured and good nutrition and plenty of sleep. There really isn't much free time for mommy or kids. But it can be done. :)

Hang in there.
 
I was facing that same schedule with my kindergarten aged DD this year, expect she would be at school from 7-3 and go to gym from 4-7:30pm three days a week and dance 3:45-5:30pm the 4th day. Considering Kinder had nothing to offer her academically, I opted for homeschool this year. I know it's not an option for every family, but we are loving it. It's the best decision I ever made!

Where did half day Kinder go? I could only find it in private schools and wasn't willing to pay that amount of money to learn stuff she already knows.
 
I agree with the above posters. Plenty of rest and balanced meals. We are pretty much in the same situation. So far we have not had any major meltdowns, but she is asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow at night. She started kindy last month and goes from 7:30-2:45 then goes to daycare until 3:00. She has gym Tues and Fri from 3:30-5:30. Next week soccer starts and she will have games on Tues and Thur nights. My little one has gym on Wed 4:35-5:20. If that isn't enough she wants to do girl scouts. We are going to have to put that on hold for a little while.

Monique

Briana 5 yr old level 1 Kayla 3 year old rec gym
 
thanx everyone! Sleep part wont be a problem but eating better is gonna be hard....she is so picky and loves all the wrong foods....it's a challenge with her everyday!!
 
Every child is different, and my dd didn't start on team until 1st grade... I know sometimes her dad thinks that the time she spends in gymnastics is "too much," but I honestly sometimes wonder if doing gymnastics has prevented her from being labled ADHD. Our gym (YMCA) was on program shut-down last week and she said that she had too much energy and couldn't stay still and had trouble sleeping. As she gets older (started 4th grade yesterday!!!) she is expected to sit still for longer and longer periods of time. I think this would be a lot more difficult for her if she didn't put in the hours she does at the gym. Anyway, my point is, maybe that time in the gym will be what your dd needs to burn off any excess energy after being in school all day. And if she does need to ease into it, nobody (coach or whoever) should make you feel badly for doing what's right for your child! That's your job! :)

My picky eater isn't my gymnast but her twin sister! So much for all theories about introducing foods at the "right" time (veggies before fruits or whatever) because my girls got introduced to the same foods at the same time and one will eat almost anything and the other is super-picky. We've stopped fighting that battle... we keep the fridge and cupboards stocked with things she will eat (yogurt, cheese sticks, milk, fruit, lunch meat, crackers, bread, eggs, fish sticks, mac n cheese... I honestly think that may be it for the "healthy" (ish) foods she will eat!) and let her feed herself. She never eats what the rest of us are eating. I can't believe she doesn't get bored out of her skull with such limited food choices! But she's healthy... didn't have a sick day once last year, growing properly, lots of energy, dances 3x a week... so we've given up the food battle. It just made the whole family unhappy and stressed-out at meal time. Hopefully she'll become more open to new foods as she gets older (please?).

Good luck with the transition! Let us know how she's doing!
 
I agree with everyone else, make sure she gets plenty of rest, that she eats good. Picky eaters are hard, but hopefully you can find a good compromise of getting her to eat. The other thing I would say is that if she is trulytoo tired on any given day, let her skip gym. It won't kill her and usually they don't get anything out of gym if they are grumpy and exhausted anyway. She is young and has tons of years left ahead of her to be serious about something. And missing gym for parties, activities, etc. Otherwise it will become no fun really fast.
 
I find that there is an adjustment period for the little ones (and probably the bigger girls too) when back to school time rolls around. DD was 3 days a week, 6 hours total, last year when she was 5 and in full day Kindergarten. The first couple of weeks she was exhausted- then grew accustomed to her new schedule and it was a non-issue. This year at 6 and in 1st grade she will compete level 3. She is again practicing 3 days a week, 7.5 hours total. I didn't notice as much of an adjustment period this year to getting used to school and gymnastics. If your DD really loves gym and wants to do it she'll hang in there and it'll become 2nd nature to her.

PS- My DD also does Daisy's and loves it b/c it's an activity that she does with her classmates from school. It helps her feel connected and part of the peer group at school when so often she has to run from school to the gym in the afternoons- this is something she does with her school friends- very fun!
 
My DD is 6, and in 1st grade. We have long days, too - school from 8:30 to 3:30, and gymnastics from 4:00-6:30 M-W-TH. And on W&TH, she has to come with me to church choir practice right after gym. Those are the toughest days.

I make sure to have a fun and healthy snack ready for DD when I pick her up from school. We have to head straight to the gym, so I let her eat and tell me about her day during the drive. Occasionally I will get her a hamburger and Coke from McDonald's (not healthy, but her favorite). That always puts her in a good mood.

I let her have as much downtime as possible at home, since so much of her day is so structured. That helps, too.

Last year, she had gym from 5:00 to 6:30 twice a week, so we had time to go home for a while after school. I actually like this year's schedule better, though.
 
Can't come up with any magic formulas. I certainly think eating healthy as much as possible and getting to bed at a reasonable hour for their age is key. I agree with Mariposa about skipping a practice or dance class or whatever if your dd seems overly tired. Believe me they will not suffer missiing an occasional practice. For those doing meets for the 1st time, be forwarned that they can suck up most of your weekend and leave your child exhausted and you even more tired:)

If it seems that your dd is picking up every runny nose or whatever is virus of the month, then re-evaluate your schedule. You may need to drop 1 activity and its ok. Not every 5 or 6 yo is ready for a 12 hour day.
 
I find that there is an adjustment period for the little ones (and probably the bigger girls too) when back to school time rolls around. DD was 3 days a week, 6 hours total, last year when she was 5 and in full day Kindergarten. The first couple of weeks she was exhausted- then grew accustomed to her new schedule and it was a non-issue. This year at 6 and in 1st grade she will compete level 3. She is again practicing 3 days a week, 7.5 hours total. I didn't notice as much of an adjustment period this year to getting used to school and gymnastics. If your DD really loves gym and wants to do it she'll hang in there and it'll become 2nd nature to her.

PS- My DD also does Daisy's and loves it b/c it's an activity that she does with her classmates from school. It helps her feel connected and part of the peer group at school when so often she has to run from school to the gym in the afternoons- this is something she does with her school friends- very fun!

That's what I'm hoping the Girl Scouts will do for her too. On her pre team she is the youngest by a year and a half so I worry about her not interacting enough with her peers aside from school. I am glad it worked out for your daughter!
 

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

Gymnaverse :: Recent Activity

College Gym News

Back