Barbara Klein, Ed.D.

As the economy suffers, parents will likely become more cautious about spending money on extra activities for their children. Parents can make their financial choices work positively for their family.
    First, it is important to understand that over-scheduling has negative consequences  for children, but especially for bright kids, who need down time to think about their life experiences. Jumping from one activity to another can be disruptive to a child's intellectual and social development.
    If your child is struggling with the difficulty of learning art, music, or sport---and the lesson ends and another activity begins---he or she can pick up the message that these activities are not that important. To succeed, though, children need to work hard and persevere through their learning difficulties. When they finally do succeed, children feel better about themselves because they know they have accomplished a hard task.
    Socially, it is also valuable for gifted kids to make deep connections with other children, which can take time and practice. Moving from one activity to another too quickly is counterproductive to a child's capacity to make friends.
    A single activity after school might be better all around.