Every parent has been a part of an extracurricular activity as a child during his/her school times. Today, with a more competitive approach to life, and as highly social-media engrossed individuals, extracurricular activities have become a topic of debate.
Let us start by addressing the need for extracurricular activity.
Why are extracurricular activities so important? How do they affect the overall development of my child?
Participation in extracurricular activities shows benefits in the overall development of the child; be it physical, emotional, or mental.
A few of the major qualities inculcated through extracurricular activities are teamwork, time management, leadership skills, sportsmanship, and the ability to appreciate every individual—by accepting them for who they are barring their individuality, social customs, cultures, etc. This helps children not only improve their social skills but explore their interests and discover their potential; this is a major mental developmental milestone a child can catalyze through such activities.
Physically, the child and the family would be motivated to have a healthy diet in order to keep the child fit and prevent the child from falling sick to any illnesses. For a growing child, extracurricular activities help in building a career path through a better understanding of what they want to pursue in life.
What sort of extracurricular activities could my child benefit from?
The list is never-ending. As parents, have an open discussion with your kid, to show them options they could be interested to explore and try!
A few common extracurricular activities are:
Sports
Sports is an ideal extracurricular activity for children who enjoy the outdoors (instead of a composed atmosphere indoors) and have a high energy level that could be channelized positively through physical activity while helping them create a name for themselves in a particular sport in the school or community. These sports, for young children like preschoolers, could be something as fun and healthy like aerobics, swimming, gymnastics, to something rigorous like preschooler football and preschooler basketball.
Arts
Certain children enjoy the indoors as the calm atmosphere helps their imagination run wild aiding them to create something out of nothing. For such children, art clubs are an ideal extracurricular activity where they could not only explore their potential but learn new skills in painting, crafting, and other sketching related activities.
Academic clubs
Children who are excellent in studies could learn the subject in depth through academic clubs. These could be Literature Club, where children not only read but discover their inner Shakespeare; Math Club, where children would grow confident and gain problem-solving skills; Science Club, explore more about branches of science; Computer Club, learn programming, coding, and other computer software. This is a fun and social way to improve knowledge and a deeper understanding of their chosen subject.
Performing arts
Plentiful children enjoy entertainment media due to the booming social acceptance. Such children could join dance troupes, instrumental lessons, music clubs, or theatre clubs.
Martial arts
It’s not only important to learn to defend ourselves but for anyone in need. Martial arts, other than self-defense, have proven benefits in life, like conscious channelizing of one’s energy, improved concentration, improved self-control, and mindfulness. In fact, this is another excellent way to have a physical workout.
Reading/Book clubs
Sometimes reading as a social activity can bridge differences of opinion and bring people together in new ways. Reading has many benefits, such as; it helps one’s imagination grow, stimulates cognitive skills, expands vocabulary, and improves memory. Children who enjoy indoors could explore reading as a way to bond with others, make friends, and grow wise.
Cooking class
Every child is curious by nature; their questions are endless. Nothing better than entertaining these questions and bonding over a nice cooking or meal prepping time. This way, the children learn to appreciate food, enjoy meal time with family, and create lovely memories with parents.
As the proverb goes, “All work no play makes Jack a dull boy”. So, let’s try to make our upcoming generations a lot more nature bound and lively by showing them that while education is very important, survival skills and social acceptance of other individuals are equally important. These skills do not come by watching the media on-screen or solely reading the curriculum, but by taking the first step of becoming a part of a group that fosters interest, skills, and passion within our children.
Let’s start burning this passion and bringing our children to life by taking baby steps and enrolling them in summer workshops. Upon cultivation of interest, these workshops could grow into a more focused after-school activity. Learning Links Academy has several workshops as mentioned in the previous blog. Additionally, the Learning Links Academy’s preschooler curriculum is absolutely unique in ensuring that the children develop the ideal seven habits that would help them survive in life! As preschool children learn these 7 magical habits, their interest to explore life and grow socially would be natural.
The first step is always the biggest. Why not start sculpting that path with a productive summer workshop with LLA?
Learning Links promotes meaningful education and personal growth to help find what students really want for their careers and lives!
Click on the button below to find out how we make great education possible.
