14 March 2025

I was chatting with a couple of the teachers last week about this idea of being in a state of flow. It is something that often comes up for us in our Pos Ed work and something that we have shared in the past but I think it's something to keep coming back to. Especially when the days at school are some could say 'over timetabled' and there is seemingly less time to provide opportunities for flow.

"The happiest people spend much time in a state of flow - the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it". (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)

So being a bit of a constant in our 'teacher' minds I thought I'd find something that had more of a parenting flavour. I came across this article you may find worthwhile for a quick read:

Can't tear your kid away from a hobby that's likely a good thing for their mental health

If you are keen to go further into it, you might like to check out more on Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi , aka the 'godfather of flow'.

Around the same time I listened to a session on RNZ with Maggie Dent. The 'Queen of Commonsense Parenting' (so now we have a Godfather and a Queen!) Anyway, it certainly had some links to this idea of flow.  It sparked my interest and it may spark yours....   After school activities - how much is too much? (click for the link)

Some of the main ideas discussed were around the pluses and nots of too many after school 'controlled' activities at particular ages and the need to get the balance right. Maggie shared thoughts on the importance of the social and emotional skills being learned through play and the importance of friends in an 'uncontrolled' environment. All in all, it was about the fit for the child and how much time they are instructed or just allowed to be themselves. Of course digital technology came up and the need for more physicality more than ever...  children discovering their limits with their bodies and the ever important working on body balance.

I liked the way the discussion turned to celebrating mixed age groups, with the young modelling from the older and the older children having this inbuilt capacity to look after the young. We see this alot in our playground. 

In a nutshell - the words variety and not overscheduling stuck. It's a short 17 mins so you may wish to give it a whirl. Plenty to think about.

Here's to not too much timetabling this weekend  :)