It would be a mistake not to look into the possibility of your child joining some sort of extra-curricular activity during their spare time, because it’s an opportunity for them to learn a range of valuable life skills, make life-long friends with likeminded people and generally just become more confident. Parents are becoming increasingly more concerned with the amount of time their children are spending on smartphones and other digital devices, so encouraging them to join an extra-curricular activity will help combat this problem and ensure your child gets off the couch once or twice a week after school. I have teamed up with a Sixth Form college in London to explore some of the benefits of extra-curricular activities for young people.
Sport is great for ensuring that young people are getting enough exercise, which helps support their physical and mental health. What’s more, it allows children to learn how to work as part of a team, communicate effectively to reach a common goal and take directions from the coach; skills that will benefit them into adulthood when they embark on a career. Every time your child’s team wins a sporting event, they will get a well-deserved confidence boost and sense of pride, that will give them the strength to tackle other challenges.
Music lessons are a more solitary option but come with their own fair share of advantages. For instance, your child will learn the importance of perseverance; even when they’re struggling with a piece of music or don’t feel like practising one evening, they have to learn to never give up. Extra-curricular activities of any kind are also a great way to improve a child’s time management skills, as they have to juggle their schoolwork, social lives, and new hobby without letting one affect another.
There are lots of other options when it comes to extra-curricular activities, from poetry and drama to art and web design. Do some research into what options are available to your child, both at school and in the local area and have at chat with them to see if there’s anything they might be interested in. It has to be there choice because if you force them to do something they’re not passionate about, they might start to feel resentful.
Nb. Collaborative post.
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