If you have school-age children, you probably know how busy their lives become during the school year. Classes and homework take up a lot of time. Outside activities, such as sports, dance and music, are often added to their schedules. With so many responsibilities, children may be left with little or no free time. Extracurricular activities can benefit children, but a schedule that's too hectic can leave them feeling overburdened. You can help your children balance work and play so they don't become stressed. 

Tips for Achieving Equilibrium

  Children are usually expected to perform during scheduled activities. Participation can be stressful when there is pressure from themselves and others to excel. Here are some ways to help balance activity and play:

• Limit activities. For example, children could be allowed to participate in one sport each season.
• Spend time with children individually. Parent/child activities, such as talking, taking a walk or playing a game, raise children's self-esteem, because it lets them know their parents enjoy spending time with them. They also may perform better in school.
• Let children spend time by themselves. Time spent alone encourages children to be creative, because they have to find things to do on their own. Downtime can also help alleviate stress.
• Vary sports activities. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, young children who focus on one sport encounter additional mental and physical stress from intense training and competition. 

  The number of activities children can participate in without feeling overburdened depends on the child. Children may need to scale back some activities if they display some of these signs of stress:

• loss of appetite
• excessive sleep
• chronic or excessive headache
• withdrawal from social activities
• lethargy
• unusual vomiting (not associated with physical illness)
• decrease in school performance

  Childhood should be enriching, not stressful. By balancing your children's activity and play, you can help them experience a healthy, joyful childhood.