It’s summer. Time to sign the kids up for a bunch of activities so that they won’t get bored, right?

Maybe. To an extent, perhaps.

Or maybe it’s better to give them some time to be kids. For having fun on their own terms. And yes, to be bored.

I’m not entirely against signing kids up for activities. I’m for limiting them. That’s because I don’t think children need to grow up having someone else always directing them in what they should be doing.

I certainly don’t blame kids for getting bored when they’re told to get out and play. Too many have too few chances to do just that. Most parents today are far more protective than our own parents were of us. My mother considers me to be much too protective at times. Yet I give my kids more freedom than many other parents I know.

One of my favorite things to do is to tell my kids to just go out to the back yard and play. They may grumble, but they’ll do it. And they’ll generally be having a blast in a fairly short amount of time. All I have to do is sit back and keep an ear open for the occasional screams. Meanwhile they’re finding bugs, nibbling as allowed in the garden, digging, getting utterly filthy and having fun.

If you don’t have a fenced in back yard and your kids are too young to play in unfenced areas unsupervised you do still have options. You can go with them and just lightly supervise. No hovering. Encourage the kids to settle their own arguments. Tell them to decide for themselves what is fun.

You’ll have to keep a closer eye if there’s a body of water nearby, of course, or other hazards, but children can play more or less independently even if you’re watching them. You just have to not join in each and every time. Play with them some of the time, of course, but encourage your kids to take the lead and to not always need you to play in order to have fun.

Just think about the things you remember most about growing up. Was it the classes you took, the activities you signed up for? Or was it the stuff you did on your own?

Chances are, it’s a combination. There may have been some classes or activities that really were that special to you, but doing things all on your own is probably a big part of your favorite childhood memories. No pressure, just time to be you.

And that is why I say some activities are fine. They can give kids the memories we want them to have. But the most memorable times are still likely to be just general fun things they did on their own or with friends.

Stop listening to all the people talking about all the activities their kids are in. Plan any activities based on what will work for your family, not on competition with other parents. Let your child learn what it is to win, to lose, to be creative, to get hurt at least a little, to be independent, to get so dirty you immediately throw him or her in the bath, to explore and to just be a kid.

Trust me, they’ll enjoy it. You probably will too.

My daughter has a karate class right now. It was a perfect fit for our budget with my husband out of work - a free month! It has also turned out to be a great fit for my daughter. About the right amount of activity, plus lots of chances to yell. She loves it.

Better yet, her kindergarten teacher says she’s noticed the change for the better in her behavior.

This meets pretty nicely with our goal of regularly having our kids in an activity. Not multiple, as a rule, particularly during the school year. Just one.

I see a lot of her friends unable to come over to play without a lot of planning in advance because they have too much going on. We’re fortunate that she does have some friends who can play almost any time, but so often others can’t. It’s not so bad if it’s because the parents have to work; that’s just life, but it’s hard when the kids beg for weeks on end to have a playdate and can’t because their schedules don’t work.

On the other hand, keeping the kids active is really good for them. As I said above, my daughter behaves better in school. I think that part is due to the very strict discipline in the karate class. She has to focus whether she wants to or not in there, and there are few enough kids that the teacher notices little things.

And of course it helps to keep her active. With all we hear these days about the childhood obesity epidemic, keeping the kids active should be a priority, as should keeping it reasonable.

It can be tricky figuring out how many activities to sign kids up for. There are so many great options. Too many, however, and children lose that chance to be kids that most of us had growing up. You know, playing in the back yard, running around with friends, doing things without direct adult supervision and planning it all out themselves.

My daughter would love to take karate, swimming, dancing, acting, ice skating and just about any other class she sees in the local parks & recreation catalog. We have to pick and choose based on priorities and keeping things fun.

Putting limits on the number of activities is something parents should do, even with enthusiastic kids. It not only gives them time for fun, it keeps your own life saner. We all know parents who complain about the exhaustion from running the kids from activity to activity. Who have to get fast food for dinner because there’s no time to cook. Who scarcely have time for themselves because the kids’ activities take so much time out of their day.

Don’t let there be a rush to teach your child every possible skill you would like him or her to have. Overdoing it isn’t good for them, and especially in the case of sports can lead to injuries that will limit them lifelong. Take it a little easier and keep things fun.