Kids after school activites... when is enough?

Spendless

Maybe the way to look at it, is not it's costing a lot of money - unless this is impacting on your ability to pay the bills, but are you getting the best value. For example, if they are at an expensive kick boxing club, but there's another just as good for half the price, think about if you wish them to continue at their current club.

Currently my 14yo does no clubs but attends an Outreach scheme at a Uni on a course school told him about a few times a year. That just costs me in food for the day and travel.

DD does drama, musical theatre and has just started cheerleading. The first 2 cost around £80 per term each (depending how many weeks there are), I think cheer is going to be £22 per month. She also has fortnightly private lamda lessons for £25.

flipper_72

I agree it is all down to what you can afford and fit it. And there are lots of us out here spending similar amounts and people who spend lots more.
Dd has 2 sports but these take 12 hours per week plus an instrument, she starts a new one this week after proving she could fit it in on recorder for the past year. Total cost per month is around £90.
Ds is younger and still finding his sports, he does 4 at the moment and we are looking at adding beavers soon. His costs are similar.
We are very careful with money which allows us to afford this, however we have not given them the option to try sports we cannot afford long term like horse riding, sailing.

shegirl

Ds (15) is about to start disabled trampolining/rebound and gym clubs, charity run so only £3 for each one per session, but with bus fares for us of £6 for each one.


He should hopefully (if it goes ahead) be starting a special needs dance club at £4 a session, plus busfares lol


He wants to do climbing club again but will need to go to the regular one with assistance now (sn ones only give you one term each) which is around £60 for a term, plus another £6 in bus fares!


Saturday mornings he'll soon be going to a special needs gardening/growing/cooking/bush craft type club with his support workers, but that one is free.


He has a once a month special needs night at the local softplay centre too, to enable them to use the facilities they can't at other times, and be around other to play, but that's another free one.


Works out about £35 a week.

Janepig

DD does athletics twice a week, £17 membership for the year, £5 per week covers the two sessions and she's just starting doing an extra hour's training with her coach at no extra cost. There's also travelling costs to various competitions and entry fees to some of them.

She does cheerleading once a week, £22 per month, £25 yearly membership and a small fortune for the competition entry fees, trips and hotel costs, etc..... plus a new uniform for this year and cheer trainers when she grows out of the old ones. She's starting back at netball tomorrow which is £80 for the season, membership, insurance and subs.

She wanted to start girls football tomorrow but it clashes with netball so that's gone by the wayside. She's just started in comp so not sure of after school clubs yet although it seems the netball club is on after school tomorrow so she won't be able to stay for the whole of that.

DS is 8 and was doing swimming until they closed the pool for maintenance and we've decided not to send him back as he is a good swimmer now so no need to spend that £19 per month any more. He goes to Cubs at about £40 per term with extra if they go to camp. Rugby costs me about £40 for the season which includes insurance and subs but then there's travelling costs to matches (for instance last Sunday's match involved an 80 mile round trip). Lastly there is football which is £1 per week for training and £10 for a kit. Now he's in year 4 he can start athletics with DD which he wants to do.

Nothing much going on in terms of after school clubs for his age, plus his year has several nightmare children in it so I think they're trying to avoid having to do anything extra with them.

In fairness to both of them they're really good at what they do so I don't mind the cost and more importantly the schlepping around after them in mam's taxi!

Jx