Extra-curricular activities can help provide the student with a well-rounded education; often it can help the student to develop new activities, a new skill set and even help set his career on a new trajectory altogether. But often these activities come with their own baggage which is why you may want to take a closer look at some of the negative aspects of the same before you enroll your child in more extra-curricular activities.
Stress: While most extra-curricular activities can be fun and help the student to better bond with their peers – the fact remains that most students are often over stressed as a result of their classes. And more to the point, most of these students are often loaded with lots of homework which leaves them with a little free time. And if you were to enroll your children in several extra-curricular activities, then this can have unintended consequences, such as over stressing your child.
Time management: Chances are that your kid already finds it hard to juggle his busy schedule and getting him into several activities outside of school can further cause him to miss classes, and even be late when submitting his homework. Time management is essential especially during school as the student often needs to set aside several hours to finish his projects, his homework and to revise his lessons. Extra-curricular activities can eat into this and impact his time management, and as a result, his school performance will take a hit.
Health: While extra-curricular activities can help your kid pick up new interests, ones that will stay with him for the rest of his life – it should also be pointed out that such activities can also lead to developing injuries on the field. There have been several instances of children getting hurt while taking part in extra-curricular activities and while the activities on their own do not pose any inherent danger; they can nevertheless put your kid at risk of getting hurt in accidents.
Studies: It is advisable not to enroll your kid in extracurricular activities during his final year of schooling as he needs to completely focus on his studies. Taking part in one too many extra-curricular activities will cause your kid to lose focus and concentration on his studies. Moreover, there is the danger of becoming too involved in a physical activity, which can further impact your child’s focus and concentration on his studies. The final year of schooling is the most important one in any kid’s life; it is this year that can help decide your kid’s career. His school grades assume significance since most colleges use this as well as the results of standardized tests to review the college application. In fact, he would have to maintain a GPA of 3.5 and above in order to get admission into a good college or university. And concentrating on extra-curricular activities can impact your kids’ performance both in his school as well as when taking the standardized tests.
This is why it is important to understand the dangers that extra-curricular activities can pose so that you can take an informed decision on the same.