Time
The hours that children’s activities take beyond the session itself: travel, waiting, preparation, and the shape they give the family week.
About this subject
The scheduled hour is the visible part of an activity. Around it sit the drive there and back, the waiting, the packing and the meals that move to fit the schedule, and that time falls unevenly across a family.
National time-use data counts the time adults spend traveling for their children, but it cannot separate trips to activities from other trips. Surveys of sports parents fill part of the gap for days with practices and games. The time behind children’s activities sets out what each source measures and where they disagree; how many activities should a child do? shows how to count the whole week rather than the number of activities.
Questions we study
- How much time does an activity take once travel, waiting and preparation are counted?
- How do activity schedules shape the rest of the family week?
- Where does that time come from, and who in the family gives it up?
Published on this subject
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Evidence review
The time behind children’s activities: what national data shows