Parenting Advice: Extracurricular Activities are equally Important for Kids

Imagine if your life is restricted to office and work only, won't it get monotonous? Similarly a kid's life should not just revolve around school and homework. Kids need to do extracurricular activities outside of the regular school classes. 

You hamper a child's development when you force your child to concentrate on studies only and prevent him from engaging in activities that he is fond of. Extracurricular activities for kids are beneficial in more ways than you can imagine. First of all, encouraging your children to engage in positive hobbies, helps in keeping them away from negative influences.

Extracurricular activities help kids to socialize, develop healthy competitive spirit, leadership skills, teamwork and learn the importance of discipline and responsibility. Parenting advice: if you encourage your kids in extracurricular activities early in life, you prepare them to face challenges early on. Moreover, such kids are more likely to not face the problem, which arise out of boredom.

As a parent, your job is to help your children find meaningful activities which interest them.Good Parenting tells you not to force kids to indulge in things which they are not fond of. Else it will be a sort of burden on the kids. Idea is to encourage children in things that they enjoy doing.

One of the most useful parenting advice is that you must encourage your children to participate in various activities and competitions that keep taking place in school. Be it painting competitions, spelling bee, math Olympiads, or dance, music, drama or sports.

You can motivate your children to join school clubs. If your child is inclined towards science, enroll him in a science club. Or if he is into chess, encourage him to become a member of the chess club.

Sport activities

Participating in sports activities make children disciplined and improve their physical fitness. Motivate your children to get involved in sports tournaments that take place in and outside school. This will help kids learn the value of team spirit.

However keep in mind that engaging in sports require complete dedication and commitment. Don't force your child into baseball because it was your childhood dream to become a baseball player. See to it whether your child is really inclined towards sports or not. Getting your child forcefully into a football team knowing that he wants to learn music is a sheer waste of time.

Boost creativity with arts & crafts

Arts and music is another area which help boost your child's creativity and help hone her artistic skills. Involve your child in music, dance, art shows and plays. It will also help your child overcome stage fear.

Parenting help: Let child engage in charitable activities

Allow your child to involve in community activities such as providing food and clothes to the poor, donating money to the needy and so on. This way, you will encourage your child to be a good member of society.

Be it sports, music or drama; the motive should be to participate and in the process learn new things and shed your inhibitions. If your child cries or throws tantrums for losing in a skating competition or a dance show; you need to get the point straight and let your child know that winning is not everything. The motive of engaging kids in extracurricular activities is to help them emerge out of their shell, develop healthy competitive spirit and most of all, have fun.