Plan Your Child's Activities

Hunt and gather class descriptions, summer camp flyers and schedules all year long. Keep a running file of activities your child is interested in, organized by season.

Jot down deadlines for enrollment forms and deposits for those programs or classes you know your child will want to take or those that fill up fast in your personal organizer. Get the paperwork in well before the deadline for signing up.

Set limits, for the sake of family finances and sanity. The rule of thumb is typically two extracurricular activities per child, taking into account your child's age, homework load, and what your other kids are doing. Figure out how your kids will get there and return home, especially if both parents must work full time.

Remember that it's not how many different activities your child has but how many times a week he has to do them. Swim team, for example, with five practices a week, is five times the commitment of a weekly karate lesson. Don't be swayed by kids who want to overcommit their time--or yours.

Carpool to lighten the taxi load and to allow a bit more flexibility in choosing activities. See 271 Set Up a Carpool.

Schedule study time. Things that are on the daily schedule get done; those that aren't, don't. See 275 Win the Homework Wars.

Set a bedtime and stick to it. If extracurricular activities push studying into bedtime hours, that's your cue to start cutting back.

Make eating together as a family at least three times a week a priority. Don't let work or activities or play dates interfere with this opportunity to regroup and reconnect as a family. See 14 Balance Home and Work.

Protect your children's free time as well. Kids are just as overscheduled as their parents--many carry PDAs just to keep track of it all. Children need downtime, time to daydream, time to play--even time to get bored so they are forced to use their imagination to keep themselves entertained.

Talk to children age 12 and older about whether they feel comfortable being home alone after school. If so, contact a neighbor that they can call in emergencies--or nonemergencies