Sign Me Up! The Parents' Complete Guide to Sports, Activities, Music Lessons, Dance Classes, and Other Extracurriculars

Contents

Part I: Activity Mania

1 The Big Picture

The Demographics Say It All

  Fear Underlying the Frenzy

Hard to Step Out of the Craze

  Trickle-Down Theory: Children's Hectic Lives Reflect Our Own

What a Contrast to Our Childhood

  Why the Activity Mania? 
Impact of the Evolving Workforce and Working Moms • No One Home to Play With • It's Not Safe Out There • Cutbacks in Programs at Public Schools • Thinking Ahead to the Teenage Years

In a Culture of Overachievement, It's Hard to Keep Up with the Joneses
Parental Peer Pressure • Fear of Being an Inadequate Parent • The Push to Excel Starting in the Womb • Holding Your Child Back from Kindergarten

Looking Ahead: Thinking About College

  Youth Sports and Activities Have Become Big Business

How This Book Can Help You Handle Activity Mania

  2 How to Choose

  Clarify What You Bring to the Table
Trying to Divine Your Child's Unique Potential • Wanting the Best for Your Child • Don't Relive Your Own Childhood • Your Child's Success as Reflected Glory on You • Valuing Your Child as a Human Being vs. a Human Doing • Back to the Basics: All About Having Fun

Deciding Among All the Tantalizing Possibilities 
Think of Ages 4-10 as the Trial Years • Helping Your Child Find the Right Fit • Matching Activities to Your Child's Physique • The Role and Influence of Your Child's Friends • Pressure to Follow the "In-Crowd" • Fear Your Child Will Be Left Behind by Her Peers • How Young Is Too Young?

Who Does the Choosing?
Following Your Child's Lead • Prioritizing and Goal-Setting with Your Child • Insisting on Certain Non-Negotiable Activities

Limiting the Number of Simultaneous Activities
Your Child's Temperament and Energy Level • How Much Is Too Much? • Your Active Child Wants Even More Activities • Getting Your Resistant Child to Try Something New

Consider the Logistics
Using Your Family Calendar Strategically • Scheduling Strategies • Activity Bags and Equipment • Food, Drinks, and Snacks

Assessing an After-School Program

3 The Need for Downtime

The Value of Doing Nothing

Making Time for Unstructured Play
Dealing with Declarations of Boredom • How to Approach Downtime During Summer Months

Not Enough Downtime: Warning Signs of Stress and Burnout

Limiting TV and Electronics: Passivity Central
Establishing Family Rules • Computer and Electronic Games

Carving Out Time Together as a Family
The Erosion of the Family Dinner • Set Aside Family Time • Take Up Sports and Hobbies as a Family • Missing Games or Practices for Family Travel or Social Events • No Time for Religion • Preventing Family Burnout

Balancing Activities with Time for Homework

4 Ongoing Management

Sibling Strategies
Avoiding Comparisons Between Children • When Your Children Compete Head-to-Head • Twins or Multiples: Same Team? • Following in the Footsteps of a Sibling Star

Larger Families

Dealing with Your Child's Coach
Letting the Coaches Coach • Dealing with a Problematic Situation

Improving Your Skills as Spectator

Sideline Dos and Don'ts

5 Dealing with Difficult Issues

Supporting Your Child After a Game or Performance
What to Say After a Tough Loss • Keeping Winning in Perspective • Stress Effort, Not Performance • Don't Push Too Hard • Avoid Comparing Your Child to Her Peers

Dealing with a Bad Sport

When Your Child Wants to Quit
Uncover the Heart of the Matter • When Your Talented Child Wants to Quit • Dealing with Your Own Frustration

Addressing Reasons Your Child May Give for Quitting
Just Not having Fun • Feels Incompetent or Untalented • Feels Underchallenged or Bored • Struggling in the Opening Forays • Bad Fit with the Coach, Teacher, or Other Kids

Encouraging Your Child to Stick with It a While Longer
Making It a Family Policy Not to Quit

Times When Calling It Quits Makes Sense

The Process of Quitting Itself

Part II: Sports

6 General Sports Considerations

Ready for Organized Sports?

Specializing Early
Aiming for a College Scholarship to Defray Tuition • The Possibility of a Professional Sports Career • Starting Early Often Means Burning Out Early 

Choosing Subjectively vs. Objectively Judged Sports

Team vs. Individual Sports

Recreational vs. Elite Teams
Recreational Teams • Playing Up with an Older Age Group • Travel, Select, or Elite Competitive Teams • Elite Team Tryouts

Bench Warming

What to Do When Your Child Hates Sports

Need for Physical Exercise: The Culture of Obesity
Obesity in Children: Why You Should Be Concerned • What's Causing the Increased Obesity? • Ways to Curtail Obesity in Your Child • Role Modeling: Be Physically Active Yourself

Considerations for Your Athletic Daughter
Title IX and Girls in Sports Today • Tips to Avoid Gender Stereotyping • Same-Sex vs. Coed Sports Teams • When Your Daughter Wants to Play on the Boys' Team • Girls Dropping Out of Sports Entirely Around Puberty

Sports for Your Special Needs Child

7 Choosing the Right Sport for Your Child

Kids Who Excel

General Sports Benefits
Physical Benefits of Exercise • Psychological and Emotional Benefits &3149; Social Benefits • Mental Benefits and Educational Success

Finding the Right Coach for Your Child
Volunteer Coaches • When You Have the Ability to Pick • Signs of Great Coaching • Telltale Signs of Poor Coaching

Evaluating a Teacher

Coaching Your Own Child
Making the Decision • Dealing with Other Parents

What to Look For in a Sports Program

Overall Safety and Injury Considerations
Proper Equipment • Preventing Heatstroke, Dehydration, and Frostbite • Overuse Injuries • Getting Ready for the Start of a New Season

Eating Disorders
Effects of Eating Disorders • What to Watch Out For • What to Do

Overall Cost Considerations
Budgeting Know-How • Buying Equipment • Ways to Save Money on Your Child's Sports Expenses

8 Guide to Specific Sports

9 Other Physical Activities

Strength Training
Yoga

10 Sports Resources

  Part III: Art and Performing Arts

11 General Music Considerations

General Benefits

Encouraging Musical Interest in Your Child

Choosing a Musical Instrument
How to Choose • Physical Suitability, • Your Child's Preferences • It's Okay to Switch

Group Play in Orchestras and Bands

Renting vs. Buying an Instrument
General Cost Considerations • Types of Rental PlansInsurance • Rental vs. Purchase Cost 

How to Choose a Music Teacher
Where Do I Begin the Search for a Teacher? • Interviewing a Prospective Teacher • Education and Involvement • Communicating with Your Child's Teacher

Getting Your Child to Practice
Creating the Ideal Practice Environment • Scheduling the Time • Making Practice Fun • Improving Technical Aspects and Measuring Progress

12 Guide to Specific Instruments

Piano

Brass and Woodwind
Bassoon • Clarinet • Flute • French Horn • Oboe • Recorder • Saxophone • Trombone • Trumpet • Tuba and Euphonium

Stringed Instruments
Cello • Double Bass • Guitar • Harp • Viola • Violin

Drums and Percussion Instruments

13 Voice Lessons and Group Singing

Overview

What to Expect in Voice Lessons
Why Your Child Doesn't Sound Perfect Yet • Helping with Practice • Helping Your Child Take Care of Her Voice

Chorus and Choir
What to Look for in a Voice Teacher 537 • Cost Considerations

14 Theater and the Performing Arts

Overview

Auditioning

Types of Performing Arts
Creative Drama and Improvisation (Improv) • Theater Arts • Musical Theater

15 Dance

Overview

Ballet

Other Popular Types of Dance
Ballroom Dancing • Hip-Hop • Irish Step Dancing • Jazz • Modern • Salsa/Latin Dance • Tap

16 Art

Overview

Popular Types of Art Class
Animation/Cartooning • Calligraphy • Ceramics, Pottery, and Wheel-Working • Painting and Drawing • Photography • Sculpture • Sewing, Quilting, and Needlework • Woodworking

17 Art and Performing Arts Resources

Music • Theatre • Dance • Art

Part IV: Intellectual and Community Activities

18 Intellectual

Chess

Foreign Language Study

Odyssey of the Mind

19 Troops and Groups

Girl Scouts 

Boy Scouts

Camp Fire USA

4-H

20 Resources for Intellectual and Community Activities

Chess • Foreign Languages • Odyssey of The Mind • Troops and Groups

Part V: Conclusion

21 Final Thoughts

Remembering What Ultimately Counts

How Will This All Play Out? The Experimental Generation

What's to Be Done?

Selected Bibliography
Index
About the Author

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