Sign Me Up! The Parents' Complete Guide to Sports, Activities, Music Lessons, Dance Classes, and Other Extracurriculars (Paperback)

~ (Author) "As a parent of two children, a girl and boy ages 10 and 9, I experience every day the ultra-scheduled, time-pressured reality known as activity..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Cost Considerations, Kids Who Tend (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Stacy DeBroff offers hope and help for parents with a child whose schedule resembles a Stanley Kaplan cram course. Sign Me Up offers a sane alternative, urging parents to use extracurricular activities to find a child’s "sweet spot--and unlock their true potential." Her first step is nailing parent peer pressure. As she explains,"the question what do you do for work? has been replaced by asking what activities does your child do?" DeBroff offers wise counsel for holding your ground and choosing activities to help your child develop and mature, rather than packaging them for college applications. She establishes a balance between the goals of activity (discipline, self-discovery) and the value of downtime (spontaneity, self-motivation). Her advice features quotes from parents and coaches, and focuses on the details of hundreds of family friendly choices including lacrosse, chess, ballet, archery, drumming, and cartooning. Each activity is explored in terms of time, cost, competition and fit with a child’s temperament and skills. Debroff also includes smart ideas about thorny issues such as how to be a spectator and what to do when your child wants to quit. This excellent book would have been strengthened with more details about volunteering and community activities outside of scouting. If after-school activity is about enriching maturity, DeBroff might encourage parents to sign up their children to help repair the world. --Barbara Mackoff

From Booklist

DeBroff talked to more than 500 parents, coaches, and instructors to produce this comprehensive guide to the dizzying array of activities, classes, and extracurricular programs available for children. She provides an overview of how we got to the point of having children's every waking hour scheduled for some kind of activity, and how to manage the demands on time. DeBroff offers advice, based on a child's age, temperament, and skill level, about how to select activities and what to expect in terms of physical development, team dynamics, sportsmanship, social skills, and a sense of competition. There are chapters on sports, arts and performing arts, intellectual and community activities, and foreign-language and chess programs. She includes details such as advantages and disadvantages, costs, and best age to start. DeBroff also wisely advises parents to include some downtime for unstructured play. Parents, teachers, and coaches will appreciate this comprehensive resource. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (July 22, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074323541X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743235419
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,044,595 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super guide for all moms with more than one kid, July 16, 2003

By	Suzanne Evans (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This book is a marvelous reference for any parent who is going through the activity/sports craze with their children. As a teacher and a parent of two boys I am well aware of the increased amount of activities and sports kids are getting involved with at a young age. With my boys, I have gone through the sign up process, only to find my house filled with moans and complaints when practices and game days come along. Not only is this book a helpful reference to finding out more about specific sports and activities, but it has useful information about dealing with kids wanting to quit and positive ways to get to the bottom of it. This book has been a great help to me in dealing with both my sons, finding out what they like best, and what I can expect as a parent.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helps you know what you're getting yourself in to!, July 16, 2003

By	Amanda Young (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

Sign Me Up! is a great guide for parents for looking to find out more about after-school sports and activities. As a mother of three it is not always easy to balance everyones schedules. My 10 year old daughter as already joined two different sports and quit because the physical demands where too much for her, and she was clearly not having fun. With her I have realized she needs more one on one time, and I have been looking for sports and activities that could offer her this. This kind of information is exactly what I have been finding in Sign Me Up! Not only do I feel like I know more about what each sport and activity will entail, but I can tell my kids more about what they can expect and help them make their decision before signing up. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone! Its wonderful for parents with kids of all ages!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource! Makes life easier for busy moms, July 16, 2003

By	Caroline Michaels (San Fransisco, CA) - See all my reviews

What a wonderful resource! I'm a mother of 9 year old twin boys, and I've had a hard time figuring out good sports and activities for them to join, and which ones to avoid. I feel like everyday the boys come home with a different sport they want to join and it's so hard to pick. This book was a GREAT way to help us all figure out what would be the best for them to do. It's so easy to use and so easy to find what you are looking for right away. It has outlined notes and information about each sport that is extremely helpful in selecting the right sport for your kids. Both my boys are in baseball, but one of my sons has talked a lot lately about karate. After reading the section on Karate I talked to him about it, so he would know more about what to expect. Overall, I think this book is a helpful tool for parents to have, and I am sure I will use it over and over again in the next few years as the boys try out new activities and sports.