We all want the best for our children, but it can be easy to
get carried away when it comes to giving them opportunities
or experiences. In today’s society, parents often feel
pressured to overschedule their kids in order to give them a
“head start” in life. But being too busy can actually be
harmful to a child’s development. Let’s explore the
potential risks of overscheduling kids.
Causes of Overscheduling
The main culprit behind overscheduling is the fear that if
your child doesn’t take part in every activity available,
they won’t have enough extracurricular activities on their
college resume. This fear is especially prevalent in
households with two working parents who believe that their child
needs more activities and more supervision than they
can provide themselves. It’s also common among families who
value achievement highly and strive to give their child
every opportunity possible.
Overscheduling can also be caused by peer pressure. If a
parent sees other children taking part in certain activities
or attending certain classes, they may feel compelled to do
the same for their own children so as not to miss out on any
potential opportunities for them. While giving your child
access to different activities and experiences is great,
it’s important to keep an eye on how much time these
activities take away from free playtime or family time.
Negative Impacts of Overscheduling
The most obvious negative impact of overscheduling is
burnout—both physical and mental exhaustion due to having
too many commitments at once.
Burnout can lead to:
- depression,
- anxiety,
- low self-esteem,
- exhaustion,
- and even physical illnesses such as
- headaches or
- stomachaches.
It’s important for children (and adults) alike to take breaks
from structured activities so that they don’t become
overwhelmed with stress or fatigue. Another effect of
overscheduling is difficulty to concentrate; when there are
too many tasks vying for attention at once, it becomes
harder for children (and adults) alike to focus on any one
task long enough to complete it successfully. This can be
extremely damaging in school settings where focus and
concentration are essential skills required for success.
Finally, overscheduled kids may struggle with delayed social
development because they have little time left after all
their commitments are fulfilled for individual playtime or
quality time with friends or family members outside of
structured activities like sports teams or clubs. Social
interaction is an essential part of healthy childhood
development and should not be overlooked!
Sleep Deprivation
One of the most common issues with over-scheduling is that
it can lead to sleep deprivation in kids. According to the
American Academy of Pediatrics, school-aged kids need
between 9 and 12 hours of sleep per night in order to feel
rested and alert during the day. Over-scheduling doesn’t
give kids enough time for sleep, which leads to tiredness
during the day and difficulty concentrating in school or
extracurricular activities.
Stress & Anxiety
Kids who are over-scheduled can also experience increased
levels of stress and anxiety. When there are too many
demands on their time, they may begin to feel overwhelmed or
resentful about all their obligations. This could lead to
behavior problems at home or at school as well as physical
symptoms such as headaches or stomachaches caused by stress.
Decreased Family Time & Lack of Free Playtime
Kids who are constantly busy don’t get enough quality family
time with their parents or siblings due to a lack of free
playtime. This means that important bonds aren’t being
formed or strengthened within the family unit, which is
essential for healthy development in children. Additionally,
free playtime gives kids a chance to explore their
creativity through unstructured activities that don’t
involve screens or structured sports teams; allowing them an
opportunity for self-expression without any pressure or
judgment from adults or peers.
Lack of Creativity
When children are overscheduled, there is often little or no
time left for creative endeavors such as drawing, music
lessons, or making crafts. This lack of creativity can be
detrimental in a number of ways. Studies have shown that
engaging in creative activities helps children learn
thinking skills that will serve them well throughout life.
Additionally, research has shown that creativity promotes
resilience by helping children take risks without fear of
failure and by allowing them to express themselves with
confidence.
Decreased Emotional Regulation Skills
Finally, research has found that when kids are constantly on
the go with little or no opportunity for restful reflection
or downtime with family members, they may experience
difficulty regulating their emotions in stressful situations
later in life. This means they may struggle more than their
peers when faced with challenging tasks such as taking tests
at school or dealing with difficult relationships with peers
or adults.
Get Your FREE Copy – How To Take Control of Your Schedule
While providing your child with enriching experiences and
access to different types of activities is great, it’s
important not to go overboard when scheduling those
activities into their day-to-day routine!
Too much structure can lead to:
- physical exhaustion,
- mental fatigue,
- difficulty concentrating, and
- delayed social development—
all outcomes which you want your child to avoid! As parents, it’s
important that we remember that our kids need downtime just
as much as they need scheduled activities; strike the right
balance between work and play so that your child has plenty
of opportunities while still getting the rest they need
throughout the day!
