Is your child overscheduled?

Laura Keys, a licensed clinical social worker, suggests that parents monitor their children's schedules to prevent the negative effects of overscheduling. While activities such as sports, music lessons, clubs, and church activities offer opportunities for growth, an excessive number of commitments can deprive children of necessary sleep, downtime, and family connection.

Parents may identify an overscheduled child through physical or emotional signs, including irritability, sleep problems, headaches, stomachaches, difficulty concentrating, or emotional outbursts. Some young people also experience pressure to perform well in every activity they undertake.

To manage these schedules, Keys recommends that parents review the family calendar and ask children which activities they enjoy and which feel like obligations. While younger children may require parents to make these decisions, older children can help set priorities. Protecting unscheduled time can allow for creativity, relaxation, or mental breaks, even if it results in periods of boredom.