Think of how simple life was when your kids were really small. Sure, there might have been diapers to change and you might have felt like you were picking toys up from the floor forever, but now you might be feeling like you are a glorified chauffeur. Kids who are growing up in a public school setting certainly have a lot of choices to make as far as selecting extra curricular activities, and they probably keep mom and dad busy, too! From helping your children decide on which activities to select to setting up a calendar, here are some ideas that might help you to guide your children.

What Do Your Children Truly Love? - You might have adored being a cheerleader, and you might want that for your child, too. However, you have more than likely figured out already that kids have a mind of their own and may want something totally different than what you did while you were in school. For example, you might have a child who is fascinated with acting and everything else that goes with being part of a public school theater group. Or, you might have a child who wants to be a linguist and wants to be part of the Spanish Club. 

And, then there's the public school athletics programs. Does your child want to play a sport like volleyball, baseball, basketball or football? Perhaps the public school that your children attend even have a swim team. If your children aren't sure which sport they want to be in, consider asking them to try each one before they settle on a specific sport. The great part of being in public school athletics programs is that you more than likely won't have monthly fees like you would in a city league. However, you may have to be prepared to pay for uniforms and other sports equipment.

​Would It Help To Set Up A Calendar? - Having a written agenda of when practices are held and of when events are held might be one of the smartest things you'll do while your children participate in public school programs. That's especially true if you have more than one child. You might even have to divide and conquer at times, with one spouse going in one direction while the other parent going to a totally different event.

Decide with your children how much time and how much money you are willing to spend on public school programs. In fact, it might be advantageous for them to pitch in with some of the fees.