Is anyone doing extracurricular classes?

We have H&J in "dance" class through their daycare. it's more of a movement class where they learn dance and tumbling. Is anyone else doing classes with their twins? How is it going and how do you handle two kids at once?

 

Nope. We don't have the time to do anything, or rather, I haven't figured out when to squeeze it in.

 

I can't see how old your twins are because I am on m iPod. But, we do a music class once a week. In fact, it's not two kids-it's four! And me. No one else. The teacher I can guarantee thought I was insane and asked if I was bringing another adult. Oh if only. So, I bring my boys who just turned four, Annabella is 2.5, and Fiona just turned one(I babysit her). I would go mental if I was stuck inside all week! My boys are older, so it's gotten easier.

But, I did a music class with just my three kids when Annabella was a baby. She wasn't walking, just sitting up. By the end of it, she was crawling.

Just do it. The more you do, the easier it will get. I was debating taking four kids to storyhour at the library, but that would be three times a week(playgroup on Fri) we would be out, so I said forget it!

 

None so far, but we just signed DD up for a Ballet class and we are going to sign DS up for a hockey class. I am curious to see how it is going to go. DD is so excited for dance class, she is already practicing.

 

Hockey and another skating class. They also played soccer this fall.

 

We're doing ballet class and I just signed them up for a Music class.

I've been doing classes with them by myself since they were wee babies - mostly because I like to get out of the house. It's nice to have something scheduled - especially in the winter - or we all go stir crazy hanging out in the house all day.

 

They did soccer in the fall on Saturdays, and Anna is in dance on Wednesday nights. They've also done programs through daycare.

 

I tried 'music classes' at the Y. Gave up after the second day because they were just wailing and wailing (it was a no parent class). Same result at the babysitting at the Y. Seems their school is the only place where they're ok being dropped off.

 

We are in an creative arts class- basically arts, circle time and free play once a week. I usually have someone with me but have done it on my own. Not easy but still worth it. One class I held one toddler in each arm as we did circle time and all the other parents (singletons) looked at me as though I was crazy and with sympathy but this is my reality and that's that We are starting gymnastics this weekend but DH will be with me. Good luck, try it and if it is too much for you put it on hold and try again another time.

 

We had the kids in swim lessons but both DH and I were there. We had the kids in soccer in the fall but they were 3 years old at the time.

 

My twins are both so different, Dickie is very active (too active - he's ADHD like his mom ) we take him to gymnastics and trampolining which he loves, whereas Teddy is more reserved and prefers to spend his time making lego and playing piano. My older two boys both attend karate class, and we take my little daughter swimming every week.

 

We tale a general sports clss once a week (if you have a Great Play near you, look into it, it's awesome!). We also have swimming 2x/week. We tried a soccer class last summer through the Parks&Rec, but it was kind of lame.

For those doing hockey, how old are your kids? When did they start slating? I'm really interested for my boys. They'll be 3.5 in April.

 

The girls did dance, tumbling and swim at this age. At dance I just had to help with shoe change and tumbling and swim was thru daycare

 

The whole family does swimming. Dannik is in a class without parents and then DH and I each take a girl in their lesson. I also do Toddlertime at the library with the girls which they love but we usually leave when it's time to do the craft since they still go a little crazy with scissors, glue, stickers, markers, etc. I also have just started them in a preschool-type program where I drop them off for 2 hours once a week. They have gone twice now and so far it's going well. I would do more but it gets $$$. My family often gives money for birthday gifts to help with the cost of the programs so I usually get to sign them all up for something more fun (gymnastics, dance class, etc) at least once over the year. D did gymnastics last year and LOVED it so I was waiting for the girls to turn 2 to try it with them.

 

I just would not know how to fit them into our schedule; most classes are not compatible with a working mom family's schedule and the kids are too tired after daycare anyway. On our days at home I have a feeling we all need the time to unwind and be together without having to be in a certain place at a certain time, interrupting play or activities etc.

The only thing I would really like to do is a swim class but I do not know how to handle that alone although I am usually not afraid of going places on my own with the children.

 

I did a swim class by myself with my girls over the summr - when they were 2.5 and it really wasn't that difficult. It was supposed to be a class without parental involvement, but of course since they were clingy 2.5 year olds, that didn't really work out, so I ended up in the pool with them sitting near me for moral support.

I'm pretty comfortable with them in the pool in general, though - I started going to the pool solo with them when they were about two and last summer (2.5 or so) we spent days on end in the pool together. My girls were even jumping off the diving board in the deep end without a life jacket at 2.5! (Of course, I was in the water and there was a life guard watching us so I felt they were completely safe).

 

Thank you for the encouragement. So far, I have always taken only one to the pool and left the other one at home with DH. Maybe I should just give it a try; if that works, classes should too.

 

My oldest DS started skating classes at 3. Middle DS was on the ice at 18 months, but really started to skate at 2. The twins weren't big enough for hockey skates until about 2 1/2. Bauer sells a hockey skate in size 6, that was the size of their first skates. Your local rink probably has a parent and me class that starts at either 2 or 3.

 

Good luck! We were lucky because our local swimming pool has a wading pool and a big pool with a stair entrance so it was pretty easy for us. I would definitely recommend life jackets, too.

 

Back when my two oldest kids were 2-3yrs old we went to Gymboree. Once I had my third it was getting to be too much. Plus, I would have had to enroll her and I was going broke paying for two in Gymboree. But, they loved it. We went to the sibling play classes so both kids could play, the music, and occasionally the art classes.