Whether it’s soccer or baseball, swimming lessons or dance classes, extracurricular activities can be great for your kids. They give kids a chance to stay active, make friends, learn new skills, and discover new interests outside the classroom.
A 2025 report from Canadian Tire Jumpstart backs this up. More than 90% of parents surveyed said organized sports had a positive impact on their child’s physical, mental, and emotional health.
Unfortunately, these activities can also be expensive. If you’re like many Canadian families, you’re already juggling the cost of groceries, housing, and other household expenses. Adding registration fees, equipment, travel, and other costs can put even more pressure on your budget.
So, how much are Canadian families spending on their kids’ activities? More importantly, what can you do to keep those costs under control?
How much do extracurricular activities cost in Canada?
The cost of kids’ activities can vary widely depending on what they’re involved in. A 2025 Canadian Tire Jumpstart study, however, gives us a good idea of how much families spend on organized sports.
The Jumpstart study, which included data from nearly 6,000 Canadian parents, found that families spend an average of $3,064 per year on organized sports for all children in their household, and $2,140 per participating child. The median annual cost, which may better reflect what a typical family spends, was just over $1,200, a significant amount.
Of course, some sports are much more expensive than others. Hockey topped the list at an average of $3,253 per child, followed by football at $1,588 and dance at $1,554. By comparison, swimming averaged $692 per child, while track and field averaged $882 per child.
Registration fees are only part of the cost. Equipment, clothing, tournaments, coaching, and travel can add hundreds or even thousands of dollars to the total. In fact, the Jumpstart study found that these extra expenses make up most of what families spend on organized sports.
If you have more than one child, these costs can add up very quickly. This makes it even more important to include extracurricular spending in your household budget.
Why extracurricular costs can get out of hand
One challenge with kids’ activities is that you want to give your children every chance to succeed. If your child loves hockey, you don’t want money to be the reason they can’t play. If they have a talent for dance or music, you want to support them.
Social pressure can also play a role. You see what other families are doing through friends and social media. Perhaps your child’s friends all play on the same team or go to the same camp. Saying no can be hard, even when the cost doesn’t fit your budget.
As tempting as it can be, using credit cards to pay for activities doesn’t make them more affordable. It only pushes the cost into the future. You may also have to pay interest.
Money problems can also affect children. Keep that in mind before you borrow money to pay for optional activities. Your kids can benefit from sports, music, and other activities. Still, you don’t need to put your other money goals at risk to pay for them.
How to spend less on extracurricular activities
Cutting costs doesn’t mean your kids have to give up the activities they love. With a little planning, you can make them easier to manage. Here are a few ways you can save:
Set an activities budget
I recommend starting with what you can afford. Look at your monthly income and expenses. Remember to include debt payments, savings, and other money goals. This will make it easier to decide how much you can afford to spend on your kids’ activities.
If you’re not sure where your money goes, track your spending by reviewing your bank account history and credit card statements for the past 90 days. You may be surprised at how much you’re spending, and find opportunities to make room.
Once you know how much is available, set aside a spending limit for kids’ activities in your budget, then choose activities that fit within it.
Use a sinking fund
Many activity costs are easy to plan for. For example, let’s say hockey registration costs $1,200 each September. Saving $100 a month can be much easier than coming up with $1,200 at once.
That’s how a sinking fund works. You save a small amount each month for a future expense. You can use a sinking fund for any predictable expense, including dance fees, summer camps, sports gear, music lessons, or travel.
A sinking fund can also help you avoid using a credit card to cover the cost.
Look beyond private programs
Many parents assume that private sports programs are their only option. Many community centres, libraries, schools, or city recreation programs, however, offer sports, arts, classes, and other events at a lower cost.
This can be a great option for younger kids as it gives them an opportunity to try different activities without the high cost. For example, your seven-year-old doesn’t need to join a travel hockey team to find out if they like hockey.
Buy used equipment
One thing I learned as a young parent was that kids grow fast. Often, that new pair of skates I bought for my son or soccer cleats for my daughters only fit for one season.
You can save a lot of money buying used gear. Check local Facebook Marketplace, local buy-and-sell groups, used sports stores, and equipment swaps. You can also ask other parents if they have gear their kids have outgrown.
Don’t forget to sell your old gear, too. You can use that money to help pay for the next size.
Consider the total cost before you register
As the Jumpstart study found, the largest expenses don’t come from registration. They come from other expenses, like coaching, equipment, uniforms, tournaments, and travel.
In other words, a $600 registration fee doesn’t mean the activity will cost $600. Before you sign up your child, find out what else you’ll have to pay for.
Does your child need skates, apparel, or other gear? Are there tournament fees? Will you have to travel, and if so, how often? What about hotels, gas, and meals?
By understanding these expenses up front, you’ll have a better idea of what the activity will really cost.
Talk to your kids about the budget
One of the best ways to manage activity costs is also one of the easiest. Talk to your kids about the budget. You don’t need to share every detail of your finances. It can, however, help to explain that your family has a set amount put aside for activities.
It means your child may have to choose between soccer and swimming this season. An older child may need to choose between competitive sports and something else they want. While challenging, these talks can help your kids learn an important lesson. That is, money is limited, so we all have to make choices. It also helps make money a normal topic at home. Loud budgeting follows the same idea. It means being open about what you can and can’t afford.
There’s nothing wrong with saying, “That’s not in our budget right now.” In fact, setting limits is part of managing money well.
Don’t go into debt trying to keep up
As parents, we sometimes have to remind ourselves that our kids don’t need the most expensive activities to have fun or learn new skills.
If their activities are causing financial stress, look at what you can afford. Decide which activities matter most to your family, and then look for lower-cost options where you can.
You may also be able to save money in other areas. That could mean spending less on shopping, restaurant meals, or food delivery apps. You don’t need to stop spending money on everything you enjoy. The goal is to spend in a way that matches your priorities.
Most of all, try not to take on debt just to keep up with other families. If credit cards or other debts are already making it hard to cover your monthly expenses, adding more debt can make the problem worse.
Finally, remember to review your budget and track your spending. Look for costs you can cut. Even small changes can free up money for the things your family values most.
If you’re struggling to pay your credit card because you used it to pay for hefty activity costs, we can help. Our trained credit counsellors offer confidential, non-judgmental consultation calls where they’ll look over your finances and discuss what debt-relief options are available. They’ll then guide you through how to get started on the option you choose.
