What’s New
A grass-roots initiative of parents collectively reclaiming Sunday as a sports-free day.
Schedule balance into your week by reclaiming Sunday as family day.
Balance4Success at University of Minnesota
A group of students at the U of M adapts Balance4Success for college life. 
Talk About Balance
Ask a question. Tell us what you think. Give us your story.
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Family Mealtime
Countless studies show that regular family mealtimes are more critical for kids’ development than any extracurricular activities.
Youth Sports
Organized sports provide many developmental benefits-and lots of fun. But with play time overwhelming many kids' and family's lives, pediatricians and mental health professionals and youth sports leaders and educators are increasingly concerned that excessive involvement in organized sports can be detrimental to kids' well being in many ways.
Family Time
Now What?
Congratulations! You have reclaimed your family's schedule and are now providing a pace and cadence in your life that better incorporates the balance that is essential to a good life for your children. It is important to resist the temptation to now fill all your children's new-found time with new activities, even those that are shared by the family. The value of unstructured time is immeasurable for children's (and adults) well-being. There may be a period of readjustment for some family members that are at a loss of what to do with the unstructured time. Some of children have had so little opportunity to develop their own resourcefulness and self-direction that they may struggle for a short time. Be patient, this will pass.
That being said, there may be times that you do want to find activities that the family can share. Focus on activities in which the family can interact as a group, which is different from standing on the sidelines watching, or driving to and fro in traffic. One great idea for families is to work together to help others. There are many, many charitable organizations in the area that need help and some organizations that help volunteers find these opportunities. Try visiting www.VolunteerTwinCities.org, www.volunteermatch.org, and Greater Twin Cities United Way to get started.
For those families that would like some ideas for outside activities, some local websites you can try are Dakota County Parks, Burnsville Birding, City of Burnsville Parks, City of Apple Valley Parks Index, City of Rosemount -- Parks and Recreation Department, Lakeville Fall and Winter Brochure, Eagan Parks & Recreation, Inver Grove Heights Parks & Recreation
Other fun ideas can be found at the following websites: Family Game Night, ISD 196 Community Education, TV-Turnoff Network, ISD 191 Community Education, Ready Set Relax.org Family Night A Month.org, 25 Fun Things to Do Without TV, Real Families Real Fun
Enjoy!