Choosing the Right Extracurriculars: 7 Factors to Consider
To help parents make informed decisions about their children’s extracurricular activities, we asked seven professionals, including a content writer and a CEO, to share their insights. From finding trust and enjoyment in activities to balancing exploration and skill development, these experts provide a comprehensive guide on aligning activities with your child’s interests and passions.
- FInd Trust and Enjoyment in Activities
- Use Comprehensive Factors for Activity Selection
- Align Activities with Child’s Interests
- Act as a Guide, Not a Director
- Combine Interests, Schedule, and Benefits
- Have Role Models Inspire Diverse Interests
- Balance Exploration and Skill Development
Find Trust and Enjoyment in Activities
One factor we take into consideration is whether our children will enjoy what they’re doing.
Another equally important one is whether I get a good feeling from the people running the activities. For instance, I wanted my daughter to join Girl Guides in the UK, which is an organization that focuses on teamwork, activities, and play. It starts from the age of four and goes through to the age of 18.
She’s four and said she wanted to join when I suggested it to her. For the first one-hour session, we both went, and I stayed in the background to make sure she was happy with everything. She was fine, but not once did the leaders come to me and speak to me about what was going to happen going forward or how much it would cost.
As a parent who is entrusting someone to look after my daughter, I need to have a good feeling with that person to know I can trust them. In this instance, I didn’t, so I didn’t send her back to that group.
Rebecca Campbell
Content Writer, Rebecca Campbell Ltd
Use Comprehensive Factors for Activity Selection
When choosing extracurricular activities for your children, consider their interests, age, and developmental stage. Ensure the time commitment fits their schedule, and evaluate the associated costs. Prioritize convenient locations to minimize commuting.
Encourage a balance of activities to develop various skills and social interactions. Align chosen activities with long-term goals, and promote health and wellness. Determine the required level of parental involvement and allow trial periods. Consider the educational value and maintain open communication with your child.
Seek expert advice if needed and ensure alignment with your family values. Support and guide your child as their interests evolve.
Phoebe Mendez
Owner, Pinay Mama
Align Activities with Child’s Interests
Choosing the right extracurricular activities for my kids is a thoughtful process that involves understanding their interests and passions. I believe that nurturing their talents and allowing them to explore their passions is essential for their overall growth and development. I usually start by having conversations with my kids, asking them about their hobbies, what they enjoy doing in their free time, and what activities make them excited.
Once I have a better understanding of their interests, I research local clubs, classes, and programs that align with their passions. I consider factors such as the reputation of the organization, the qualifications of the instructors, and the safety measures in place. It’s crucial for me to ensure that the activities are not only engaging but also provide a supportive and secure environment for my kids to learn and grow.
Samantha Odo
Real Estate Sales Representative and Montreal Division Manager, Precondo
Act as a Guide, Not a Director
In my experience, understanding a child’s interests and passions is like joining them on a treasure hunt. You’re there as a guide, not as a director. To unearth these gems, you need to listen. Really listen. When they chatter about their day, they’re offering you a window into their world. What lights up their eyes? Is it when they talk about the kickball game at recess, or when they show you the spaceship they’ve drawn?
Monitor what they do when they lose track of time. I remember my daughter would sit for hours, engrossed in her LEGO sets. That was a clue to her love for building and design.
It’s also key to think about their future. If your son dreams of being a chef, that after-school cooking class could be more than just a hobby. It could be the stepping-stone to his culinary career.
John White
MBA – Owner, White Fox Cleaning Services
Combine Interests, Schedule, and Benefits
Parenting extends well into guiding our children toward extracurricular activities. The many variables at play certainly include our realistic family schedules, the child’s current level of energy, and the child’s friends at the time. Of great importance is understanding our child’s current interests or passions that will influence several key factors, including his focus and dedication to practice.
Our son, for example, has expressed a wide interest in many sports, which can make these selections seem obvious. We also strive to guide him toward activities that offer the opportunity for important aspects of fun and activity: socialization, physical movement, skill development.
In this way, we have seen him experience the benefits of the activity experience in many other aspects of his young life. He has taken his new skills, such as in sports, and broadened his delight with related story reading. We think finding these overlaps provides a richer experience that may be sustained.
Ashley Kenny
Co-Founder, Heirloom Video Books
Have Role Models Inspire Diverse Interests
As a parent, I want my children to develop their own interests and passions, not just parrot mine. And yet, I knew watching me launch my business inspired them greatly. So, I made sure my own influence was balanced out by a variety of role models.
Exposing my children to adults in a wide breadth of careers expanded their world. Suddenly, they went from wanting to be a business owner like Mommy, to expressing an interest in a cornucopia of roles—sometimes changing their minds every day! These rotating interests left me with a never-ending supply of keywords to Google, and I could find camps and after-school programs that matched their changing passions and interests.
Kids often have little awareness outside their nuclear family, and that limits their extracurricular desires. But through exposure, you can light up their passion; extracurricular activities follow naturally.
Linn Atiyeh
CEO, Bemana
Balance Exploration and Skill Development
When helping my kids choose extracurricular activities, I consider their natural inclinations and curiosity. It’s important to strike a balance between encouraging them to explore new areas and allowing them to deepen existing interests. I also look at the skills they might gain, such as teamwork or time-management, and how those could benefit their overall development.
Einav Biri
CEO, FARUZO
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