In September, it is time to choose the children's extracurricular activities for this course: sports, languages, music, workshops, etc. The offer is huge! Extracurricular activities bring benefits to the child and are a good option to develop skills that are not promoted in school. They also help reconcile parents' work schedules with their children's.
You may wonder what is the most convenient after-school activity for your child and if you are not overloading his day. Remember that children also need time to relax, play, talk with family, and even get bored.
Extracurricular activities when and how
- Extracurricular activities are not recommended for under three years.
- Between three and five years. At these ages, children need to spend part of their free time playing. Unstructured play enhances creativity, socialization and learning and also increases self-esteem and self-control. If they do any kind of extracurricular activity, it is important that this is in accordance with the child's potential, that the methodology is adapted to his age and that it lasts less than an hour. It is better to opt for extracurricular activities that are oriented to move, to learn and not to compete and achieve high results.
- From the age of six children are already aware of what they like and can decide what after school to do. The most important thing is that your child enjoys this activity and that it does not become an obligation with a high level of demand. When choosing, advise him so that his choice adapts to his personal abilities and needs. According to experts, it is best to opt for a maximum of two extracurricular activities. One sports and the other academic or artistic with a maximum of three days a week.
Benefits of extracurricular activities
- Sport activities. Playing sports on a regular basis has a number of benefits for children. Sport favors their physical development and promotes healthy lifestyle habits. It also increases the ability to concentrate and improves learning processes. Promotes relaxation and produces a feeling of well-being. Team sports foster values such as camaraderie, tolerance for frustration, and the spirit of improvement. It can help introverted children overcome their shyness.
- Academic activities. They are a support for children with some type of learning difficulty and a way to reinforce what is worked in the classroom. It is also a way to satisfy the curiosity of children who want to learn more.
- Artistic activities. They promote motor skills and manual skills and favor the development of imagination, creativity and expression in language. According to experts, activities such as music, theater or painting improve memory and concentration and increase emotional intelligence.
Most common mistakes when choosing extracurricular activities
- Forcing the child to do an extracurricular activity that he has not chosen or that he does not like. The safest thing is that you will not get the expected results and that your child will end up hating it.
- Overloading the day with too many activities. Stressed children are easily irritable, anxious, and moody. Sometimes, less is more". I insist on the importance for children of enjoying unscheduled leisure time.
- Add more hours of academic activities in order to achieve better results. Overloading your schedule is counterproductive.
- Not taking into account the age, motivation or personal abilities of the child when choosing. Before is not always better.
- Having too high expectations for results. The most important goal of doing an after-school activity is not the results but the process itself. The child should enjoy this activity and in no case should he experience it as an obligation or something negative.