Extra curricular Vs Education

[arvi]

I am interested in introducing various extra curricular activities to my son like swimming, gymnastics, dance, music, etc. I am also worried if my son would become very much active in extra curricular activites and forego his basic education in future. Any suggestions or thoughts would be welcome.

[KL]

I think it's all a matter of personal feel at the given time.  For us, we try many different things and keep the ones that Felicity likes more and/or which we feel are important.  So long as your son is having fun, enjoying himself, and getting a good balanced exposure to things (including free play), then how wrong can it go?

[2010BEBES]

I think the same as KL.
We normally try to do with our kids (or grandkids) what we like or would have like our parents to do with us. It is ok to start that way for example with swimming, karate, soccer (depending of the age). As you engage with your kid in this activities we have to be carefull and see if he is having fun. If so, continue and if not just look for differente activities.
The improtant thng is that we always have to try balancing phisycal with intelectual and social activities and HAVING fun.

[arvi]

Thanks for the replies. Balancing seems to be the key for all issues.

[goodnightmoon]

I agree that it is all about balance. it should also be about the personality of the child and what their interests lead them to choose. I have always thought of most extra curricular activities being very complementary to educational activities. For example, when children learn to work together during a team sport this will cross over into how well they can function in a classroom environment.

[TmS]

I spent a lifetime travelling to and from lessons of all sorts and there is nothing, other than my healthy life, that I am more grateful to my parents for.

I was never forced, it was always my choice, one I never questioned.

 I learned - ballet, tap, jazz, acrobatics, clog, contortioning, sports acrobatics and singing. I later, as a teenager, added drums, piano, guitar, drama, swimming, squash and karate. All of this was achieved after school and on weekends and I was a high achiever in all them.

I did well at school too though certainly not because of extra study time at home. I could read before I started school and basic maths, I believe my eldest sister taught me though I don't remember learning so I must have been pretty young.  So I went in ahead and stayed there.

I truly believe that the skills I learned at these extra curricular activities combined with already knowing how to read and do basic sums, were the reason I didn't need a lot of study like other kids. When I went to dancing I was shown steps and had to be able to retain them for the rest of the year while more steps were constantly added. It was the same with all the other disciplines I was studying.

Learn fast, retain and move on was a skill I learned young, through joy and music, and it has helped me achieve many things in my life.

I also read somewhere that you can't lift achievement in one area without raising the others because they're all linked. I think in fact it was Glenn Doman

I hope this is helpful, your child will know how much they can cope with and what they want to be involved in and while they're having fun doing it it will help them to achieve in other areas.

[arvi]

Wow TmS I am very jealous of you. You know so many things. I was always interested to learn many things in my childhood but never got an opportunity.

[TmS]

We were very lucky.

I made a new years resolution when I was 18 to learn something new every year. It's the only resolution I've ever kept. Some things I continue with somethings I don't but every year I learn something.

I want my son to grow up knowing that I am willing to learn from others, that I don't think I've learned it all and that the process continues. I want him to know that I respect learning and that I crave it. I hope that in doing this he will continue to love learning, to want to learn, to listen to others and to always be willing to try new things.

[zoe22]

I didn't get to do lots either when I was younger, so now, apart from singing which I guess is a natural thing for me, i don't do much. never really learnt to swim, can't play any instrument, no sports! still I had a happy childhood though, only wished I could do something else.

With my kids now, I've made up my mind to expose them to lots of extracurricular activities as they show interest. My daughter is a bit too young, so apart from taking her swimming and basic skills, no real organized activities yet, but with my older son, he does loads, scouting, swimming, violin, ocarina,piano, football. we just allow him to do whatever he wants to do at a particular time, some he keeps on doing, others he looses interest and we stop. He's tried street dancing, cookery club, tennis, but after a while, I noticed he wasn't so enthusiastic, he never complained though, but we stopped when we saw he was loosing interest. we never force him to do anything.

He has however kept at his music for almost two years now and still really enjoys it a lot, he recently started football, so we're waiting to see if it's something he'll keep doing.

I'm just realy glad that what I didn't have the opportunity to do, he is enjoying now. And he is doing EXTREMELY well with his school work as well. He learnt to read and do basic arithmetic before starting school, didn't know abut the doman method then, but he learnt with phonics. He has stayed well ahead of his class, even with his quite busy extracurricular schedule.

I personally think doing extra makes kids more rounded, more organized, more confident. i'm actually looking forward to finding out what my daughter's interests will be when she's older!

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