Dance lessons. Sports practices. Sports games. Tutoring. Play dates. Voice lessons. Drama lessons. Karate. Most parents want their kids to have all the opportunities available in the world so that their kids can explore different sports opportunities and different artistic ventures so that they can socialize with lots of other kids that come from different backgrounds.

However, experts warn that parents may be over-scheduling their kids and giving them too many structured activities. After all, they say, kids need some time to just be kids and to learn to amuse themselves in a non-structured environment.

Whether or not you agree with the experts, there is a real danger that you may be over-scheduling your kids to the point where your kids may be struggling to keep up with school on top of all the other activities that they do. It's stressful enough for kids these days with peer pressure and all the stuff they go through. Adding additional layers of stress just flat out isn't healthy and can ultimately cause damage to the parent-child relationship. Is it worth it?

So how can you tell if your kids are over-scheduled? Check your family schedule. Each child should have at least one weekday where they don't have to be at a scheduled activity. If each child doesn't have one day in the week besides the weekends that they can just relax and not have to attend a scheduled event, lesson, practice, play date or other activity, then your kids may be over-scheduled.

Sometimes parents don't even realize how many activities they have committed their children to. They don't realize that their kids can be overwhelmed with the all too many school and extra activities they are signed up for. Yes, sometimes parents do need to schedule activities so that the kids aren't left alone in the afternoon after school because both parents need to work.

But, no matter what the reasons are that your kids attend a lot of activities, you should talk to your kids and ask them if they feel overextended. A child who is struggling with a busy schedule that is too packed with activities may be hesitant to say anything to mom or dad about it. But that doesn't mean they can handle that kind of a schedule.

Communicate with your kids to find out how they feel about their schedule. Get their input on what activities they enjoy and which ones they might like to drop out of or do without.

We're all guilty of wanting to provide our kids with the experiences that we might not have had ourselves as children. There's no shame in that. But it's important not to force your kids into a schedule that is too busy for them or they will start to flounder.