(1) Kids are different. What is good for one may be terrible for another. A schedule that an extrovert craves might demolish an introvert.
This.
I think I'm in the middle of the road on this issue. Kids whom have no activities these days seem to be lonely and mostly on the computer IMO. If they were outside riding bikes & playing with other kids I wouldn't care. But in my neighborhood it's hard to find kids like that. Plus my kids never got enough exercise unless I pushed. Yet they do need downtime. Personality and issues like how much time they spent on homework affect it. Until H.S. when they scheduled their own activities I had both kids participating in one physical activity (dance, martial arts, swimming) & one other say a music lesson, theater or art class.
When my DD21 was in 3rd grade I accidentally overscheduled her for a few months. Vowed never to do that again. My DS17 requested that he not do many activities in junior high. But as a senior in H.S. is a busy teen. I think it pays to listen to your kids, choose a few activities the kids enjoy, and make priority to yourself that your don't need to spend all your time running the kids around.
