The value of extracurricular activities

WHETHER they do them before school, after school or on weekends, the value of extracurricular activities to your children’s overall development cannot be overemphasised.

Cheryll Messam, personal and professional development consultant and life coach of youimindjamaica.com, said parents desire the best for their children — a balanced life — which should include extracurricular activities.

“One way of looking at achieving the best is by raising the child to be emotionally, financially, spiritually independent mature adults. Extracurricular activities can be used strategically by parents to help raise well-balanced kids beyond academic achievement,” Messam said.

She said extracurricular activities expose children to situations and experiences that will challenge them appropriately, and cause them to have a well-balanced outlook on life and its possibilities.

Other benefits of extracurriular activities are:

1. More exposure

According to Messam, these activities can introduce a child to new interests and highlight skills that can boost their self-confidence as well as help them choose an appropriate and rewarding career.

2. Healthier children

Activities that encourage physical activity also promote fitness and give you healthier children. “With a strong physical component, these activities can maintain a child’s physical and emotional health through regular exercise, as well as mental health through stress relief,” Messam said.

3. Better organised kids

“Extracurricular activities can help a child learn time management and commitment, as they have to meet the requirements of both school attendance and pursuit of their extracurricular activities without compromising either,” she said.

4. Social skills

Messam said children who participate in extracurricular activities learn to relate to a variety of other adults and children outside of their customary home and school contexts, and this helps to prepare them for life in the wider world.

5. Decision-making skills

Messam explained that extracurricular involvement helps underscore the point to a child that life is filled with variety, and that they should not shy away from trying new and different things. “It is through exploration and failure that you learn who you are, and what you are capable of,” she said.