Which extracurricular activity should I sign my child up for?

When school ends, on the one hand we plan to rest, but on the other it is important to get organized for the coming year. This also involves choosing extracurricular activities for our children.

For many of our children, these activities are the best way to complement the school education they receive at their educational center.

The range and variety of these activities keeps growing: cooking, robotics, karate, languages, sports, chess, theater… how can we know which one is the most suitable?

Why sign your child up for an extracurricular activity?

First of all, it is worth analyzing the reason why we sign our child up for extracurricular activities, whether it is to reinforce a curricular area, to learn new concepts such as languages, to have fun, or to fit in with the parents' work schedule, among others.

Signing them up for activities helps children discover which sports, hobbies and skills they like and which they do not, and in this way we likewise encourage their self-knowledge.

Benefits of extracurricular activities

In addition to fostering different skills and learning, extracurricular activities have numerous benefits for the personal development of children.

On the one hand, it is a new environment where activities are carried out that can foster relationships among peers and socialization outside the academic environment; at the same time, they learn to work as a team, it can help them become more independent, and at the same time it can boost their self-esteem and knowledge.

Types of extracurricular activities

These activities can be:

-Doing leisure activities (esplai), a musical instrument, or sports allows them both to disconnect from academic activities and to promote health, effort, and teamwork.

-Improving academic performance by doing school reinforcement activities, usually supplements to the subjects they are weakest in. These can be school subjects, learning new languages, or consolidating English as the language of the school.

-Doing theater helps them express themselves both through the body and verbally, but at the same time it helps them gain confidence, overcome shyness, and relate to other children.

If you are interested in reading more about what type of activities to choose according to my child's needs, we recommend our post "What extracurricular activity should I choose for my child"

How to choose the activity and the frequency

In addition to the activity, you also have to choose the frequency with which they will attend. It is essential not to overload them with activities every afternoon. Keep in mind that they will also have homework, study, and at the same time they need time to play.

It is also important to agree on the activities with the children, since they will be the ones attending these extracurriculars for almost 9 months and will thus be able to enjoy them more.