As you get ready to send your child back to school, a big concern is how she'll spend her out-of-school time. Chances are you're carving out a schedule for her that keeps her busy and cared for while you're at work. Yet some of us worry that our kids may be overscheduled—and overstressed—what with school-play rehearsals, piano lessons, volleyball practice and all that math homework. This concern has been exacerbated in recent years due to the spate of news-paper articles and books on the topic. But is there real evidence that school kids are doing too much and stressed out because of it? Quite the contrary, says Joseph L. Mahoney, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Yale University.

"Overscheduled is overstated," contends Dr. Mahoney. "The concern has been that parental pressure leads to young people participating in too many organized activities, which is thought to undermine their well-being, create stress and limit the time they spend with family or doing homework. But research shows that kids' main reason for participation is enjoyment and excitement and that they're actually bored with too much free time." In fact, a study Dr. Mahoney led last year, along with an overview of existing data, shows that kids on average spend only five hours a week in scheduled activities as opposed to 15 hours a week watching TV. Just 3 percent of grade schoolers and 6 percent of high school students spend 20 or more hours a week in organized pursuits.

The studies also reveal that organized activities have numerous positive effects on children, including higher academic achievement, increased self-esteem and sense of mastery and better relationships with their parents. Plus, they feel safer after school. While free time can be beneficial, too, children spend most of it watching TV or playing video games, activities without active engagement that often go hand in hand with munching on junk food.

Dr. Mahoney asserts that for organized activities to be optimal, kids should be involved because they enjoy them. "Some may not like activities with a high level of competition—that can cause stress and burnout." As for how much time, the new research suggests that as hours and activity increase, kids get more well-adjusted, not less. Even if your child attends an afterschool program five days a week, she'll most likely have a mix of activities along with homework help that will keep her engaged. The amount of time should ultimately work for your family, as you keep your child's interests in mind.

"Overall, participating in these activities is much better than not participating," says Dr. Mahoney. So if you're inclined to feel guilty that your child is overscheduled, get over it.

Activity Time Management

Encourage rather than force or pressure your child to participate in organized activities. Then show enthusiasm for her involvement. This will help her to be engaged and stay engaged.

Monitor her participation over time. If she really doesn't like the activity, revisit the situation and see if there's something else she can try.

Strike a balance. Downtime can be fine, but it has fewer benefits than organized time. Encourage her to use her free time wisely (reading, painting) rather than just zoning out in front of a screen.