Encouraging your child to pursue their interests outside of school is a great way to get them off their digital devices and develop a range of key transferrable skills that will serve them well throughout their life. While rest and relaxation is important, children do need to understand the importance of using their spare time productively. As such, I have teamed up with an independent school in London to explore the benefits of extra-curricular activities below.
disclosure: this is a partnered post
Develops Skills
Hobbies and extra-curricular activities are great for helping children to learn. Not only will they become more proficient in their chosen pastime, they will also become better at time management, communication and commitment, to name but a few. For example, if they learn an instrument, they will have to factor in their lessons and daily practise along with their other obligations. Even when they feel like slacking off or giving up altogether, they must learn how to dedicate their time to their preferred craft.
Improves Confidence
As a child’s abilities improve, so will their confidence. Extra-curricular activities will help them feel more self-assured, which in turn, will help them in other aspects of their life. For example, their confidence might help them feel more comfortable putting their hand up in lessons to answer the teacher’s questions.
Builds Friendships
Some hobbies and extra-curricular activities are solitary, while others will allow your child to meet new people and form strong bonds with people they might not have otherwise met. Again, this will help them with their confidence, while also making them a better team player. They will start to respect and empathise with others.
Prepares for the Future
If your child plans to apply to university in the future, being able to demonstrate an interest in something outside of their school commitments may help them with the application process. They will be able to share their experiences and the skills they’ve learned in their personal statements and explain how this will make them an asset to the university.
We trust this short article helps you to better understand some of the benefits of your children participating in extra-curricular activities. As we said at the beginning, whilst it is important to rest and relax, it is equally important to use your downtime productively.
