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Extracurricular Activities
Get Your Child Involved
By Kimberly Austin
With the advent of cable television, CD players and the Internet, the idea of extracurricular activities may seem outdated. Technology, however, has yet to capture the same level of interest with the 6- to 9-year-old crowd as does hands-on experience.
By age 6, most children have already been introduced to some type of extracurricular activity, according to Joan Bergstrom, author of School's Out: Resources for Your Child's Time. The problem is finding a balance between school and these activities.
Mother of three Marie Ramirez started attending Gymboree classes with her first child when her daughter was 3 months old. Ramirez has a master's degree in human resources and corporate training but is now a stay-at-home mom. "I mainly (started Gymboree), because I wanted contact with other moms," she says. Ramirez's second child joined a music and movement class at age 1, and her third child started the same class last month.
Bergstrom recommends that you make sure the activities are geared for your child's age group. Ramirez's oldest child now takes ballet, swimming and tap lessons – a mixture of both her child's and her wishes. "She loves ballet and tap – those were her ideas," Ramirez says. "I pushed swimming because I feel it is a mandatory skill."
"Activities widen a child's world and allow him to go into something in-depth and gain self-confidence," Bergstrom says.
Ramirez adds that extracurricular activities teach children to have an appreciation for sports and art. For children who require a little coaxing, Bergstrom suggests looking at what kind of materials excite them. Some children like going to hardware stores, looking at old cars, making masks or studying dinosaurs.
"Look at what speaks to your child and engage in a conversation with your child," Bergstrom suggests. "Then, look at what's available and present your child with a choice."
Bergstrom does not encourage allowing your child to drop in and out of activities. Once they have made a commitment, they should stick with the activity for at least six weeks. "I've interviewed parents who say they wished their parents would have made them stick with something," she says.
Some children need time to warm up to an activity, the group or the leader. Bergstrom adds that allowing your child to drop in and out of activities permits this type of behavior later in life. If a child really wants to quit the activity, look for physical signs of stress like headaches or vomiting.