EXTRA MURAL ACTIVITIES: FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE

Sport and other extra murals like art, dance, music lessons and even social service organisations can help children learn important life skills, too much of these good things can leave them with far more on their plate than they can cope with and leave them feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Occupational therapists and educational psychologists warn that extra-mural activities should not take up time children need to spend in free play. In junior primary years, many children are encouraged to take up lots of different sporting disciplines to ensure they “try them all” so they can make an informed decision about which to select based on their talents and interests later in their school career.

Another reason why one shouldn’t rush children into too many activities too soon is that every child needs to reach certain developmental milestones at their own pace before being forced into activities they may not be ready for. If your child hasn’t mastered the upper body strength and agility needed to do well in some sports, introducing them too early to a sport that requires a certain level of skills can leave the child feeling inadequate, and cause them to develop a negative attitude towards the activity in question or sports in general which can lead to them avoiding all forms of exercise in later life which is obviously unhealthy.

However, what is lost in this constant state of busyness is the child’s need for unstructured fun and the amount of time needed for homework is underestimated leaving the young person with little time to just be a child. Too much too soon is as harmful as nothing at all warn experts who suggest preschoolers and those in early stages of their school life should limit their structured activities for the year to one or two at most.

Almost all sports help in some way with more than just physical skills. Many have excellent side benefits which aid in academic prowess. Selecting specific sports to help with special needs can be hit and miss. An occupational therapist can point you in the right direction if your child has a need which some form of physical activity can help.

A child who struggles with writing, can’t sit still and has difficulty concentrating. This child might benefit form a sport which builds muscle tone in the whole body, such a swimming, or a sport which helps balance such a karate, gymnastics, ballet or even skateboarding, and ball skills which are inherent in many sporting disciplines and have been shown to assist in improving concentration.