This is probably the biggest concern for parents about the cognitive and social development of children and adolescents. We want our children to have a complete and rich education, which prepares them for the challenges of adult life.
In this path, promoting resources to deepen soft and hard skills are extremely important, and it is in this context that extracurricular activities come into play.
But to help you better understand how they can help in the growth and psychosocial development of children and even in the discovery of talents , we have prepared this text. Keep reading!
Table of Contents
What are extracurricular activities and when to start
It is any and all activities carried out outside of school hours, that will help to complement, strengthen the education and develop the physical and mental aspects of the child and adolescent.
Believes that every activity carried out within a pre-prepared project, whether it be cognitive stimulation work in different areas or socio-affective development activities, brings a significant gain both in academic performance and in the general education of the individual”.
In some cases, activities can begin at 6 months of age¹ , such as swimming or music lessons. However, they are more common at school age, when the child is more capable of socializing and participating more actively, especially those that require teaching a new language, which usually begins at 4 years of age¹.
It will all depend on your goal with the child and what type of skill you want to develop, as each one takes different time and has different needs.
What are extracurricular activities for?
This kind of activity develops children through the mental, physical and social aspects as we referred above, in addition they help other working parents from outside as well, it lets children learn and even have enjoyment discovering a new skill with that.
There is only one rule: be careful not to overload your child’s schedule with too many activities at the same time. Choose the ones they like the most and have an affinity for and invest in them.
In addition, they also work on learning and social skills difficulties. For example, chess or reading clubs are great options for children with concentration difficulties. Sports, theater or other group activities will help them become more sociable.
In general, the child will develop skills such as:
- Creativity;
- Physical Activities;
- Teamwork;
- Development of multiple intelligences;
- Interpersonal relationship;
- Strengthening new skills;
- Self-esteem and confidence.
Types of extracurricular activities
From swimming to English classes to judo and music, there are many options for extracurricular activities offered by your child’s school and by organizations such as Happy, which is the largest skills school in US.
They can be performed in groups or individually and are part of cultural activities like music, theater, dance, circus, etc. Intellectual activities, for example, robotics, programming, teaching a new language, reading club, among others, and sports like volleyball, basketball, soccer, wrestling, etc.
The significance of extracurricular activities for college application
If your child wishes to study abroad, after-school activities will be very important for their resumes. This is because most foreign colleges do not have their own entrance exams like here in the Philippines. They may base their decision on these two factors: the grades of the student, as well as the activities and participation of the student involved, both for personal as well as social development.
Yes. Volunteer work , which in some way contributes to the better functioning of society and the development of individuals, is also considered extracurricular and will count towards the application – that is – all the documents that the candidate must present to the desired college, in order to secure a place.
also read: See 8 reasons to encourage your child to learn in practice
