Full day schools for kids in NSW

I have 2 kids, younger one who will be 5 in July, is very high on energy and I want to channelize this energy in a right way. She goes for gymnastics class once a week and waits eagerly for her Friday 1 hour class. But other days its a bit difficult to look after her and keep her engaged creatively because as parents we are working and running other household errands with not much time to keep her occupied in the best way we would have liked.

I need suggestions from the members here, how can I get the best out of her right from the early age. Just as an example I was thinking of something like a full day sports school with more focus on sports training mixed with some academics. I looked up a bit on internet and I did not find any such thing for NSW (Sydney). This is only one example but there could be things in other areas but as parent I think an active/outdoor/dynamic field will suit her more than arts or music.

Please suggest and provide names, URLs for more info.
Thanks you.

Comments

  • +2

    Should be some after school activities you can enroll your kid into. The activities would vary based on your area.

    You could call the school and ask if they have external providers that picks up the kid from school to their activity (e.g. dance, soccer, etc..)

  • What about serious coaching for a tiring sport, like swimming?

    When I used to swim a couple of times a week, I used to watch a swimming class where the students would be doing lap after lap times (note that this was an Olympic size pool too). I can't imagine any normal kid not being tired after that and I used to see the same kids at least 3x a week. Entry though for these kind of classes might be difficult (have a requirement) but I doubt it's more troublesome than attending a sport school.

    • Thts something I am looking for, but to start something after school includes pick up from school and drop at the coaching class. Not feasible to do in my work hours. Hence I was looking for a school where the kid can be dropped for a 9 am start and finish at 5.30 or 6pm.

  • +1

    Mcdonald college has a comprehensive dance and drama program that includes out of hours. I don't know the details but a friends kid goes there and it's intense.
    https://www.mcdonald.nsw.edu.au/

  • I’m not sure about specific schools, but you could visit a few local schools on their open day and get a feel for how much outdoor time and sport they do during the day. There’s some schools with specific programs (eg https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-02/the-nature-school-pri… and https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-05/outdoor-lessons-at-pr…) but not sure about in Sydney.

    Consider getting a trampoline if you have the space and haven’t already got one. It’s a great way for kids to use energy after school. Also, when you do have the time consider family bike rides, bush walks, trips to the park, working on ball skills etc.

    Swimming lessons and/or nippers are really good too, especially since swimming is such an important life skill anyway.

    If you’re worried that your daughter has much more energy than average, also consider seeing an occupational therapist or paediatrician. If there is is an underlying reason for lots of energy, just adding more structured activities might not help. Sometimes kids need unstructured active play, down time etc. It’s pretty common for kids to have big days at school and doing structured activities and then come home and kind of fall apart because they’ve not had enough free play time and chill time. Also consider this could be a passing phase.

    • Sorry I also just noticed that she is not quite school aged, so probably not starting school until next year? If she’s not already going to pre-school look at a preschool or kindy program that focuses on active/outdoor/nature play. Some examples here but it really depends what part of Sydney you live in https://www.ellaslist.com.au/articles/sydney-s-best-bush-sch…

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