6 reasons why after school activities are worth the effort

September 19, 2019

Studies prove that participating in after school activities can boost your child's academic performance. Unfortunately, many parents have not taken advantage of this gem to add value to their children's lives. If you are one of them, here are six reasons why you should enroll your child in after school activities.

They help kids learn time management skills

Engaging in after school activities along a regular school schedule pushes kids to adopt excellent time management skills. By juggling regular classes and after school activities, they learn to stay focused and disciplined, as well as how to prioritize tasks and get them done in time.

Such skills eventually manifest in their regular lives as they become adept at handling their lives and all that is expected of them.

They improve kids' confidence

Most after school activities for kids are geared towards helping them learn new skills. As children learn how to do new things, they build confidence in themselves.

They get the feeling, "If I can do this, I can learn other new things too"! If they fail, they can also learn from failures. It's a great way to build their self-esteem in a relaxed setting with people of their age.

Inspire kids to become team players

After school activities are rarely isolated. For example, sports, music, or art all require interacting with other kids to do projects together and learning from each other.

Therefore, children enrolled in after school activities with other kids improve socialization skills and end up being team players that work well with others.

Kids learn how to set and achieve goals

Many after school activities challenge kids to set goals and achieve them. For example, when a child is expected to learn how to play an instrument, it takes lots of practice and requires putting in hours each day to learn. At the end of learning a song or performance, a child will have the confidence to set other goals and achieve them.

If children fail in the course of learning new skills, it also teaches them they are allowed to fail and can learn valuable lessons from failures too.

Help kids improve grades

Some parents are afraid to enroll a child in after school activities because they think it will distract him/her from academics which tends not to be true. Actually, skills learned from after school activities such as increased self-confidence, excellent time management skills, being a team player, and learning to set and achieve goals all contribute to a child's academic excellence.

After school activities benefit parents

Many kids are unruly because they are bored and lack something worthwhile to put their minds, energies, and skill into at home. Therefore, parents must always give kids something to do in their free time, such as after school activities. It will help them become disciplined.

A bonus is that, when the kids are away for after school activities, parents also get to relax or do things that are important to them.

How to enroll your child in after school activities

If you are convinced about the benefits of after school activities and are wondering how to go about it here are some suggestions.

Ask what they like: Kids already know what they enjoy or are interested in. Activities they choose will be of more benefit to your child than those you choose randomly based on your own feelings.
Observe what they're good at doing: You can also figure out what activities to enroll your child in if you just observe what he/she likes. For example, if your kid loves music, you know that learning dance, or going for music lessons will interest him/her.
Talk to teachers: Teachers spend a lot of time with your child. They know what your child is capable of and have information about beneficial after-school activities that you can enroll your child in. Speaking to them will help you to make the right choice.

By following these three suggestions, you will be able to enroll your child in after school activities that suit him/her.

Last word:

Have you enrolled your child in after school activities? If yes, which ones are they? If not, what is holding you back? Kids can learn so much from after school activities.

If you want to enroll your child in after school activities, check with your school, local church, or kid's center for information. You can also find helpful information online.