You know that feeling when it seems like everyone has to be somewhere at the same time? Welcome to life with multiple kids in afterschool programs, sports, and enrichment activities—especially when they’re close in age.
As parents, we sign them up for these programs with the best intentions: to build their skills, give them fun outlets, help them make friends, and open new doors. But when those schedules start stacking on top of each other—pickup at 4:30, drop-off at 5:00, two games on Saturday in two different towns—it starts to feel like less of a family calendar and more like event management.
The truth is, keeping kids busy is great—but keeping them organized is key. Without that structure, it’s easy to feel like the wheels might fall off any given Tuesday.
One resource that really hits home on this topic is BeAKid’s guide: “Mastering the Chaos: How to Keep Your Kids Organized Amidst a Busy Schedule”. It’s packed with realistic advice for how to actually manage the madness instead of just white-knuckling through it.
A few sanity-savers I’ve learned the hard way:
- Color-code the calendar. Each kid gets their own color, both digitally and on paper. Sounds simple, but it works.
- Double up activities when possible. If one kid’s at dance and the other can hit the library next door, you just earned yourself a small parenting victory.
- Know when to say no. Busy is good, but burned out benefits no one.
With multiple kids, it’s not just about filling schedules—it’s about finding the right balance between growth and family sanity.
And on the days when it feels like too much? Takeout. Always takeout.
