Out of respect of the topic on CBT, I thought I would respond in a new topic.

I think the amount of activities and types of activities depends on the child. Just like I take my 11 month old puppy for a 4 mile jog at 4 am, then she goes to dog beach for at least 3 hours, 3 different times through the day and we just throw the toy into the water, she fetches, throw the toy in the water, because this dog just needs so much exercise.

DD is not a play by herself kind of kid. Not that she doesn't but it surprises me more, when she does. She loves to interact, and if other kids are not available then she wants me to participate. In Mandarin class, she likes the interaction with her classmates in activities more than the learning of the language but she gets both. She loves her ballet and gymnastics. She is not keen on practicing her piano, which I have posted about, but she loves to able to play so practicing is not an option. And she really wants her science program at the museum. It fills up fast. And if you don't have an activity on a certain day and you try for playdates, you have to find a kid who doesn't have an activity scheduled.

But being in the city also keeps travel time down, and kids across the hall knock on the door when they can do a playdate and likewise, or we go up to another floor where she has a friend. So it isn't inconvenient to have a 45 minute playdate whenever. Was also convenient when she had her first sleepover away and it was right across the hall.

She is healthy, doesn't play a lot on the computer or have the chance to watch TV outside of eating lunch in the summer or her schedule of shows at 6 am while she has breakfast.

She is surrounded by kids with a lot of activities. It doesn't stop pretend play or inventing stories using her silly bands for props. Or hanging on the lifeguard chair eating their pizza lunch with them.

She gets up most of the time on her own, so it seems she gets enough sleep. She has time to play Mastermind or Pictionary or Uno. And she has a room any little girl would want, with princess/barbie dolls, a 3 story dollhouse, play kitchen, loftbed with club underneath, and on and on. And she uses it.

So what is downtime for her? She has the option and sometimes she just wants to color or make a puppet. But she is like her puppy, and goes and goes and goes.

Ren