There’s a blank in my schedule. Usually this is on a Saturday or a Tuesday, both days when our family doesn’t usually have things to do. I love that blank space. Although I feel tempted to fill it up at times, I also recognize that my daughter and I both need to have some down time. And in these busy times, it’s good for me to schedule that down time onto my calendar, to have that special day of nothing.
As parents of small children, we can feel so pressured to get them ready for the big world ahead. We feel like we need to get them ready for preschool, then for kindergarten and grade school. These will lead into high school, college, and hopefully a good, satisfying, productive and well-paying job at the end.
But what’s the point, really? Yes, I know that the point is that they manage to sustain themselves and their future families at a job that pays well and is productive. However, by placing our kids in college-prep classes when they are in preschool, are we not allowing them to just be preschoolers? To just play?
There’s a balance, of course. When my daughter showed interest in reading, I was delighted, partly because I know that she’ll really enjoy the independence of learning things from books on her own. However, I was also happy that she’d started moving towards elementary-level skills, simply because I want her to have a good time in elementary school. I don’t want her to struggle with reading skills.
There are definitely children who will struggle with the basic skills of reading, writing and math, and we need to support the development of pre-reading skills, fine motor control, counting and spatial awareness. However, when we register kids in classes all of the time, they might be missing out on other important subjects. These subjects include playing in the mud, building forts, dressing up and pretending, and making a big mess in the kitchen. These things are important too, and not just because they are fun. They also help kids become happy and productive adults. By doing these things, our kids develop great imaginations, creative problem-solving skills, and a sense of peace and fun.
Where’s the balance? I’m not sure. I do know that on weeks when we have a lot to do, my house is a mess, my life is difficult, and my daughter is cranky. On weeks when I schedule down time, my house is still a mess, but my life seems to flow a whole lot better. And my daughter? She’s over in the corner playing happily with her dolls.
Do you schedule down time? Do you think it is important? How do you work down time into your schedule?