How much do you spend on your kids' extracurricular activities?

[Cavy]

Hope this is an ok thing to ask.  Lots of MDC threads about weekly grocery spending so I thought it should be ok.  I admit I'm being purely nosy.

My kids don't do many regular weekly activities; well, DD does a lot which costs me typically about 20 quid (like $30) a week. My three boys hardly do anything extracurricular at all in comparison (on a regular basis).

I get the impression that other children do A LOT more than even my DD (9yo).  Just wondered if anyone would like to share numbers on what they spend and what the kids do?

[madskye]

DD, 5, takes a dance class at the community center that's $70 for 10 weeks.  And we're going to check out a music academy on Thursday which would be $50 per month/1 hr per week. 

Next year she'll probably do dance at a real studio, and it will be more expensive.

[Llyra]

I have three kids. They're each in one activity. Right now I can't afford more than that; plus, it's too much time taken away from playing and reading and hanging out with family and friends.

DD1 is in a tap dancing class. I pay $55 a month.

DD2 is in a ballet class. I pay $45 a month. (She gets a discount because her sister is enrolled at the same dance school.)

DS is in a gymnastics class. I pay $540 a year for ten months, so $54 a month.

So it's about $150 a month, so about $35 a week.

In the spring when I get my tax refund, though, I'm putting them all in 14 weeks of swim lessons. None of them can swim, and we spend a lot of time in the summer at DH's grandma's lake, or at the beach by my mom's house. I want them to learn to swim.

[Alyantavid]

Not much.

Around here, there aren't many options.  DS2 is only 4 so he can't get into anything just yet.  DS1 plays basketball, football and baseball through the school and that's only $10 per activity.  During the summer, he goes to a weeklong science camp and then has 2 different golf camps, altogether those come to about $150.

[chattyprincess]

 I want dd to experience a bit of everything so that when she is older and started to "specialize" into one area she will really know what she wants to do and not regret never getting to try xyz.

Starting at age 4 she (4.5 now) she does swimming, gymnastics and soccer once a week. Her swimming is included in her Y membership so she also does other things randomly with that and it gives us a discount on her soccer.

This works out to about $22 aweek.but thats no gymnastics during the summer.

[mumm]

Too much!

dk1, age 10- basketball league ($80), skiing (approx. $800 winter), Viola $20 month

dk2, age 7-soccer ($120 and $90 and $120), skiing (about $800), girls scouts (about $120) and her active social life includes far too many b-day parties at $20 a pop! Lax and b-ball start in 3rd grade so that cost will start next year. Then viola will start in 4th.  She also wants to try wrestling.

dk3, age 3, gymnastics ($200 times 3 semester a year= $600/yr) and dance ($660/yr)  skiing (about $300)

dk4, age 3- Gymnastics ($600/yr) skiing (about $300)

We also have memberships to the local children's museum ($150/yr), the zoo ($75), audobon society ($50?) and conservation comission ($75?).

I have no idea what that works out to monthly, or annually.  My kids were/are very, very shy and if they are willing to go do something where they actually have to speak to someone (gasp!) then I am happy for them to do it!

[chattyprincess]

Originally Posted by mumm 

Too much!

dk1, age 10- basketball league ($80), skiing (approx. $800 winter), Viola $20 month

dk2, age 7-soccer ($120 and $90 and $120), skiing (about $800), girls scouts (about $120) and her active social life includes far too many b-day parties at $20 a pop! Lax and b-ball start in 3rd grade so that cost will start next year. Then viola will start in 4th.  She also wants to try wrestling.

dk3, age 3, gymnastics ($200 times 3 semester a year= $600/yr) and dance ($660/yr)  skiing (about $300)

dk4, age 3- Gymnastics ($600/yr) skiing (about $300)

We also have memberships to the local children's museum ($150/yr), the zoo ($75), audobon society ($50?) and conservation comission ($75?).

I have no idea what that works out to monthly, or annually.  My kids were/are very, very shy and if they are willing to go do something where they actually have to speak to someone (gasp!) then I am happy for them to do it!

[renaissanceed]

I try to limit them to two activities at a time.

Swimming is usually 14 weeks and is about $70 but we are skipping swimming this session and just going as a family to the Y on the weekends.

DD is in gymnastics at a private centre and it's expensive - about $400 for 7 months.  DS just started with gymnastics and his is $170 for 3 months.

They also got enrolled in a yoga class and it's $110 total for both of them for 2 1/2 months.

However since I spend pretty much nothing on their clothes/toys (seriously, like maybe $40 clothes and $80 toys a year total, including gifts), I put a bit extra into these activities.

Oh, and I guess I am also taking them to the theatre 3 times this year, I think those tickets were about $12 each.

[sweetcheeks]

All 3 of my kids are in swimming lessons year round. We get them for free at our Y where we're members and my ILs buy us a year family membership there as our big family Christmas present so it's no cost to us at all.

DS1 (7.5) is in Beavers and it's $150 for the school year (10 months so $15/month).

DD (5) is in a pre-competitive gymnastics program that runs us $60/month plus a yearly nat'l gymnastics association membership ($50), $40 for the team bodysuit, $40 for the warm up suit and there's also a fundraising fee (amt depends on competition level, I think ours was $40 this year) that you can get reimbursed for by volunteering at the club and at events. She's also in Sparks (like Daisies in the US) that runs us $80 for the school year.

DS2 (2) is just in swimming.

[PoetryMom]

DD 1 is in college now, but he only did one thing other than get really good grades at school - violin and every concert and competition that went with it (sigh...how I miss them).

The DDs are both in dance at the same studio (fortunately both on the same night).  DD1 goes for 1 & 1/2 hours and does ballet, tap and jazz.  DD2 just started this year, and she goes for 1 hour of ballet and tap.  For both of them I pay $170.00 a month.

DD1 also takes a 45 minute piano lesson once a week for $15.00 a lesson.

Because we are Catholic, DD1 goes to Faith Formation (formerly known as CCD) once a week for 1 & 1/2 hours.  This is required in order for her to make her First Communion and so forth, so it's extracurricular but not optional.

This I feel this is a lot, so I don't allow anything else during the school year. If DD1 really shows an interest in another activty, I tell he she can try it in the summer when there is no dance, no school and probably no piano.  Last summer she did gymnastics and both DDs had swimming lessons.

[velochic]

We are really against kids being over-scheduled, so we limit dd's activities to 2 (once a week) activities at any time.  Not because of expense, but time.  We want to be home as a family during the week.  She has horseback riding year-round, then during school she has girl scouts and the summer she has swimming lessons.  She's almost 9yo.  Horseback riding is $150/month and the scouts and swimming lessons are only about $40/year each.  This summer she wants to start an instrument (again).  She used to play violin, but lost interest.  We'll probably let her do an instrument and the riding (her true passion) unless she becomes a lot more involved in riding.  So far she hasn't wanted to do competitive showing.

Like renaissanceed, we take dd to a fine arts event such as ballet, symphony, opera, musical, once every month or two, so I guess that is an activity.  That's another $50 - $100, I'd say.

[mrskingred]

DS is 4 and we've just re-enrolled him for swimming lessons. 2x week for 3 months - 47E with our pool membership (whole family is 120E/year). School, (they go back on Monday) doesn't finish until 4.30pm, and then he usually has his merienda and plays with his friends for about an hour. Planning on signing him up for the summer activity programme this year - 70E for July.

[Hey Mama!]

Oldest daughter (9)

biweekly guitar lessons, $16 ea

Girl Scouts $12 to join, $2 dues each meeting

Winter swimming (starts today) $60 flat fee to practice once a week from Jan-May.  Summer swimming (competition) is around $50.

Awanas-free

Middle daughter (7)

weekly dance lesson $35 per month.  She's on a competition team though so our fees will go up.

Girl Scouts $12 to join, $2 per meeting

Awanas-free

Youngest daughter (5)

weekly dance lesson $38 per month

Girl Scouts $12 to join, $2 per meeting

Awanas-free

Soccer sign ups are coming soon, may see if the youngest is interested.  We usually do t-ball/softball in the summer.  I know my middle will not be continuing, unsure if my oldest will.  I'm hoping youngest does soccer so we can skip t-ball this year.  Our regular monthly total is around $110 per month.  Last month was more expensive because I had to pay $100 to each dance studio for costumes. This month will be more expensive because I have to pay $60 for swimming. 

[HollyBearsMom]

We have a Y membership for $79 a month but we all use that....

Hockey in the fall/winter runs about $500 w/o equipment but including skate sharpening, replacing mouth guards etc

Lacrosse in the spring/summer runs maybe $150?

TKD (yearly) anywhere from 2-5 days a week runs about 1K a year so about $80 bucks a month

Then there are the occasional camps: Lego mind storms, robotics, etc and a week or two at summer camps

And the occasional classes (week long cooking class for an hour a day for 5 days, etc)

He never has more than 2-3 things a week.

[Lisa1970]

At 9, I spent very little. 

Now that my olders are in high school and they are in to fencing, I spend more....$190 a month for the two of them together. Then my daughter takes music lessons at $50 a lesson and has city orchestra once a week which had a small fee for the year. That is it for the two of them together. I think it is more about time and quality than the dollars spent.  My daughter did do more at 9, because she was home schooled and that was her only outside outlet. But, if she had been in school at that age, I doubt I would have had her in expensive extra stuff.

I hope that helps.

[kathymuggle]

The kids average one or 2 activities a week.  They are HSed - if they weren't we might do less  (the archery would go as would the Gril Guides.  the Drama might go - he loves it, but it is far away and that need might be met through the high school.  Some of these activities run the year, while some are as short as 2 weeks (swim lessons)

Per year:

gymnastics  - 360 per girl

720 a year

Drama - 500 for DS

Girl guides - 140

Archery  - 180 for all of us

Swim team - 40

Swim lessons - 120

History program -200

total per year: $1900

app. 36.54 a week for the 3 kids.

This does not include any field trips of any sort. 

[Peony]

DD1 is dyslexic but excels at sports so we encourage her for self esteem issues. DD2 wants to keep up with her big sister. 

DD1

tap dance Sept-May $40.00 a month

gymnastics Sept-May usually sometimes in the summer as well 2x a week $60 a month

swim team summer and fall $50.00 a month plus $75.00 fee each year

snowboarding at least $600.00 just for her, we pay quite a bit more for DH to go along with her

white water kayaking in the summer, the prices varies, but at least a couple hundred if she goes through the kayak school which we do to get guided trips in

DD2 

tap and ballet $175.00 each per semester, plus additional fees

gymnastics $35.00 a month

DS doesn't do sports yet, thank goodness!

[JayGee]

We just moved, and I haven't enrolled anyone in anything yet, but here's what we did/paid before the move:

DS (9) ~ gymnastics $60/month for 1.5 hours/week; violin $14/week, soccer $65/season

DD (6) ~ gymnastics $100/month for 2.5 hours/week; piano $14/week, soccer $65/season

DD (4) ~ open gymnastics $5 to go and jump around at the gym with me once a week!

Here in our new town, all three kids will continue with gymnastics and DD2 will start classes instead of just open gym.  DS will play indoor soccer.  The older two will continue with their music lessons.

[tabrizia]

DS is 3 1/2, he does Gymnastics $50 a month and swimming $40 a month once a week.  This spring he wants to do soccer as well which is around $40 for a 6 week session.

DD is 21 months and does Gymnastics $45 a month once a week as well, we'll add in swimming and ballet when she turns 3 most likely.

[Owen'nZoe]

Ours varies, depending on what the boys are currently taking. We limit to 2 activities for DS1 and 1 for DS2 (who is only 4). We also rotate activities, so they have a chance to try different things and also so they get in the classes we consider mandatory (like swimming), but which they don't necessarily want to take.

Our most expensive activity was karate at a local dojo, which was $100/mo per child. That was also, by far, the favorite - doesn't that just figure! ;)

Right now, we've got karate at the Y (which is OK, but the boys are both begging to get back to their old teacher) at $50/mo each for 2 children, and boy scouts, which cost about $75 this year so far (including fees, uniform, and pinewood derby supplies).

In addition, we have memberships that we probably wouldn't have without the kids:

YMCA @$780/year

Botanical Garden @$65/year

Children's Museum @$85/year

Natural History Museum @$65/year