• Home
  • Locations
    • Charlottesville North
    • Charlottesville East
    • Charlottesville West
    • Crozet
    • Lynchburg
    • Arlington/Alexandria
    • Falls Church
    • North Carolina
    • Pediatric Associates Downtown
    • Teletherapy Across Virginia
    • Teletherapy International
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Teletherapy and Outdoor Sessions
    • Our Team
      • Therapists
        • Charlottesville North
          • Micaela Bates, Psy.D
        • Charlottesville West
          • Alexandra Werntz, Ph.D.
          • Amanda Sovik-Johnston, Ph.D.
          • Caroline Megargel, MSW, LCSW
          • Lily Baker, MSW
          • Markita Jackson
          • Morgan Lanier, LPC
        • Charlottesville East
          • Jesse Dice, MSW, LCSW
          • James Czywczynski, LPC
          • Leon Henry, MSW, LCSW
          • Markita Jackson
          • Matt Browning, LPC
          • Nikki Bowles, LCSW
          • Terah Johnson, MSW
          • Dalia Gladstein, M.Ed.
        • Crozet
          • Liz Bordogna, MA
          • Dayna Kumar, LPC
          • Mackenzie Nelson, MA, Resident-In-Counseling
          • Markita Jackson
          • Sean Flannery, Ph.D., Psychologist
          • Addison Halverson, MFT, MS
        • Arlington/Alexandria
          • Jodi Harris, LCSW
          • Kristin Miller, MA, NCC, Resident in Counseling
          • Amanda Ercilla Treviño, LCSW
          • Pat Ryan, LCSW
          • Constance Zubairu-Kanu
        • Falls Church
          • Jodi Harris, LCSW
          • Pat Ryan, LCSW
          • Kate Bowen, LCSW
          • Amanda Ercilla Treviño, LCSW
          • Marisa Beck, MS
        • Lynchburg, VA
          • Dayna Kumar, LPC
          • Kristin Miller, MA, NCC, Resident in Counseling
          • Justin R. Smith, DO, Psychiatrist
          • Kathleen Van Allen, LPC
          • Emily Chuang
        • Pediatric Associates Downtown
          • Liz Bordogna, MA
          • John “JT” Thompson
        • Specialized Staff
          • Julia Gilliam
          • Markita Jackson
    • Blog
    • Press & Media
    • Careers and Training Programs
  • Psychiatry
    • Robert J. Johnston, MD, Psychiatrist
    • Justin R. Smith, DO, Psychiatrist
  • Services
    • Psychological Assessment
    • Brainspotting for Trauma
    • Children (0-12)
      • Child Therapy
      • Family Counseling
    • Teenagers & Young Adults (12-24)
      • Child Therapy
      • Family Counseling
      • College Student/ Young Adult Therapy
      • Young Women Athletes
    • Adults (22-99)
      • Individual Therapy
      • Couples Counseling
      • Family Counseling
      • Geriatric Therapy
    • Parents (14+)
      • Family Counseling
      • Parent Coach
      • Parenting through the Pandemic
  • New Clients
    • Rates and Insurance
  • Contact Us
logo

(434) 202-4080 | hello@virginiafamilytherapy.com

Administrative hours 9am-5pm
Clinician Hours 8am-8pm depending on Clinician

Active and Connected Families Podcast

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Amanda Sovik-Johnston

My WordPress Blog

Finding the Sweet Spot: Is Your Child Over-Scheduled?

February 17, 2020 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Families are busy these days. Between a parent’s busy home and work life, and kids in school with after school activities, it can be hard to figure out a balance. Certainly activities outside of school will enrich your child’s life, but at what point is it adding value, and when is it pushing your family over the edge?

 

Lack of Sleep

It’s important to make sure your child is getting enough sleep. After they’re done with school and their extracurricular activity, they should have enough time to do homework, eat dinner, and get at least eight hours of sleep. If you have trouble getting them out of bed in the morning, if they’re lethargic all day or sleeping in class, your child may be over-scheduled because they’re not getting enough sleep.

 

Lack of Down Time

Kids benefit from unstructured time. Unstructured time helps them relax and decompress. It’s important to note however that screen time is not unstructured time. Time spent using electronics doesn’t relax them or help them decompress from the day. It doesn’t add stress, but it doesn’t take it away, either.

 

Your Child Acts Out When They Get Home

One of the biggest signs that your child is over-scheduled is if they come home from school and have a meltdown. When kids are at school, there’s much that’s expected from them. They have to have self-control all day, and a lack of unstructured time over the week can make them feel like they can’t take it anymore.

 

Finding a Balance

It can be difficult to find that sweet spot between a healthy number of activities for your kids, without your family having to sacrifice in other areas. First, evaluate how much time you’re spending on an activity. Include time spent at the activity, the time preparing, time spent at practice and driving to and from. Research shows that eight hours a week works best for children. Five to seven activities over the course of a year is at the top end of the “sweet spot” before extra activities start to have a negative impact.

 

Make a conscious decision to have some down time over the course of a year. Maybe pick a season not to have any activities scheduled for your children, so you can all enjoy some structured family life. Things like doing chores, helping with dinner, etc. is a boon to both children and families. Everyone benefits from family engagement.

If you’re a parent and you’re struggling or just need some support, call my office today and let’s schedule a time to talk.

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Locations in:
Charlottesville West
Charlottesville East
Crozet
Falls Church/Fairfax VA

Teletherapy across Virginia

(434) 202-4080
hello@virginiafamilytherapy.com

By submitting this form via this web portal, you acknowledge and accept the risks of communicating your health information via this unencrypted email and electronic messaging and wish to continue despite those risks. By clicking "Yes, I want to submit this form" you agree to hold Brighter Vision harmless for unauthorized use, disclosure, or access of your protected health information sent via this electronic means.

Privacy Policy

A Therapist Website by
Brighter Vision