Help a Mom: When should young kids begin activities, classes

A local mom asked me this question when we met the other day: She's wondering when her son, now nine months, will be old enough for activities and outings such as music and movement classes or sports.

I shared that my younger daughter, nearly four, will start her very first activity other than preschool, library story times and a week of swim lessons, this fall. I've signed her up for an indoor soccer class.

My older daughter didn't participate in any extracurricular activities beyond day care and story times, when I could take her, until she entered kindergarten.

In large part, my decision was based on time. I was working full-time when my older daughter was young. My younger daughter has been in preschool or in a playgroup four to five mornings a week and, until recently, has been too exhausted to take part in anything in the afternoon. 

But, there are plenty of Mommy and Me classes out there for the younger set - from music and movement to art and sports classes.