Extra-curricular activities are a great way for your child to explore their interests. As well as giving your child something to do outside of school time, they can be a lot of fun and can make for a happier child or young person.
Extra-curricular activities enable a child or young person to:
When a child is very young, it is the parents and caregivers who make decisions about which activities to engage their children in. But as a child ages, they develop greater independent thought and come to know what activities they enjoy and what they don’t. The best way for them to find this out is to have a go at a whole range of activities. If your child decides they really don’t like something, move onto the next. An extra-curricular activity can be a great source of fun, but only if the child enjoys it.
It is important to avoid overloading your child with too many activities. They need spare time in their week to be able to relax, as do the parents. When you are constantly running around from one thing to the next, it puts added pressure and stress on everyone – the activities are no longer as enjoyable. Be realistic and make sure there’s plenty of time to get everything done.
Extra-curricular activities are supposed to be enjoyable. If you focus too much on competition or achieving grades, the pressure detracts from the fun of the activity. Sometimes children need to be pushed a little to keep them motivated to achieve, but it is important not to take this too far.
