Opinions from a Therapist, Coach, and Educator on Whether Children Require Extracurricular Activities
In a recent group chat among parents, a mother expressed concern about her child's involvement in multiple extracurricular activities. To provide insights on what activities are worthwhile and what should be avoided, the conversation aimed to gather expert opinions on the matter.
The discussion involved three individuals: a therapist, a tennis coach, and an early education curriculum specialist.
From the therapist's perspective, free, nature-based play offers unique benefits for emotional regulation, resilience, and fostering internal motivation to solve problems creatively and independently. Nature play allows children to independently navigate challenges, make decisions, and solve problems without prescribed rules, fostering self-reliance and innovative thinking.
The tennis coach emphasised the benefits of structured extracurriculars, especially sports and team settings, for teaching discipline, collaboration, resilience under pressure, and leadership skills that support problem-solving in social and competitive arenas.
The educator focused on the cognitive and academic advantages of extracurriculars, including critical thinking, time management, and leadership, while recognising that unstructured play nurtures creativity and intrinsic motivation vital for lifelong problem-solving.
The child in question is already enrolled in Taekwondo, and the question of whether children should engage in numerous extracurricular activities or simply play in nature and solve their own problems of boredom was addressed.
Combining structured extracurricular activities with ample opportunities for free play in nature provides children the best foundation for developing diverse problem-solving skills. Extracurriculars offer scaffolded learning of specific skills and social-emotional growth, while free nature play nurtures creativity, independence, and holistic cognitive development.
The discussion served as a starting point for a broader conversation on the topic, leaving room for further exploration and consideration of each child's individual needs and interests.
In light of the discussion, it's evident that a balanced approach to extracurricular activities, encompassing both structured programs like sports and team settings, and free play in nature, can foster a diverse range of problem-solving skills. This approach also ensures cognitive development, creativity, and intrinsic motivation through unstructured play, while teaching discipline, collaboration, and leadership through structured activities.
Moreover, Science, Health-and-Wellness, Fitness-and-Exercise, Parenting, and Education-and-Self-Development are all areas that children can benefit from, with nature play encouraging emotional regulation and resilience, sports and team settings promoting fitness and leadership, and education offering academic advantages and time management skills.
