Signing up for after-school activities

Choose your lesson well
It's important to a child to have an activity with which they can use to meet friends, talk about at school, and as a source of pride. Enrolling your child in an extracurricular activity encourages his self-discipline as well as promoting development of skills. To make an adequate decision for your child you must first know what a particular activity demands. Here's a primer on four popular activities to help you choose the best one for your child. We used Winnipeg as a source city; costs may differ elsewhere.

Soccer
Skills: willingness to run and kick a ball.
Equipment: shin guards ($15), ball ($20) and soccer shoes ($40 to $50).
Cost to participate: through a community centre, between $40 and $80 (including use of a uniform) for a season.
Good start age: six.
Time commitment: two games and one practice a week, each lasting one to 1-1/2 hours.

Piano
Skills: an interest in music.
Equipment: some schools provide a keyboard on a trial basis; eventually you'll need a piano (a used one starts at $500). Books: $20 to $30 a year.
Cost to participate: music schools charge about $65 for four 30-minute private lessons.
Good start age: eight.
Time commitment: 15 to 30 minutes of practice a day.

Gymnastics
Skills: flexibility, balance strength and coordination.
Equipment: stretchy T-shirt and sport shorts.
Cost to participate: 12 one-hour sessions cost between $100 and $130.
Good start age: four.
Time commitment: beginners, one to three hours a week.

Hockey
Skills: ability to skate.
Equipment: to start, about $440: shin pads ($40), hockey pads ($60), a cup for boys and suspenders ($30), gloves ($40), shoulder pads ($60), helmet ($50), elbow pads ($30), mouth guard ($10), hockey stick ($40) and skates ($80).
Cost to participate: from $200 to more than $1,000 depending on factors such as the skill and age levels, rink (indoors is more expensive) and length of games.
Good start age: five.
Time commitment: minimum four days a week. Including travel time, at least two hours per session.