Why are extra mural activities important for your children?
I have often heard parents ask why their children should participate in extra mural activities. Besides for the obvious, there are a few good reasons for this.
TEAMWORK
Teamwork makes the dream work.
Firstly, extra mural activities give your child the edge. Very often parents choose schools for their children because they feel the school will ensure that their children stand the best chance of getting ahead in life. The same could be said for the correct extra mural activity. Extra mural activities assist children with social interactions and communications. Young children feel part of a team even if they are just wearing the same t-shirt. This sense of belonging is important and builds the foundation for teamwork. Teamwork is one of the skills that many recruiting companies are saying that our younger generations are sadly lacking. Your child will be able to understand how teams and communication within a group function in a fun and pressure free environment.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Build your children’s confidence.
A sense of belonging and being part of something has huge psychological benefits for youngsters and enables them to boost their self-confidence. In my opinion emotional intelligence is often overlooked in our school curriculums and not enough emphasis is placed on this in schools today.
LONG-TERM COMMITMENT
Commitment is an act, not a word.
I believe it is important for children to commit to an extra mural activity for a minimum of one year. In our industry we often find parents who allow their children to flit from one activity to another. Firstly, the child does not embody that sense of belonging which we have been discussing. They also don’t learn an important lesson of long-term commitment. This becomes critical when they get married or have long term work projects that they need to commit to as an adult. We have all experienced times and activities that are difficult and if we just allow ourselves or our children to give up when the going gets tough, we will no longer have a world that perseveres and finds solutions to difficult and uncomfortable situations.
CRITICAL THINKING
Think smart, not hard.
Extra mural activities offer children the ability to become critical thinkers. Critical thinking involves the ability to think distinctly and coherently to understand logical connections between ideas. This cannot occur if children are just passive recipients of information, and it has been proven that children who are active participants in activities become strong critical thinkers. This will certainly make these children wonderful to employ one day.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Character is a journey, not a destination.
Remember parents, educators and one day bosses will want to have well rounded individuals sharing their space. Children who have developed character and an understanding of how the world functions around them.
PHYSICAL GROWTH
The most crucial time for growth is now.
Lastly make sure that the extra mural activities that your young child is doing includes core muscle development, balance, strength and that it is fun. Enjoyment is critically important as this will help your child develop a love for sport or cultural activities. Why may you ask is this important when they are little? Well, you want them to be busy teenagers on the sports field and not into parties and clubs. You need to start developing a love for physical activities now to ensure that they participate later.