Balancing children’s brains, bodies and minds

Are all those extramural activities essential? Take the pressure off; your child doesn’t have to do everything!

Even before your child starts preschool, you’re made aware of all kinds of activities that you could be doing with him. Extramural activities for children can be both a blessing and an inconvenience. On the one hand, they keep children busy and fit and can offer working parents precious hours of engagement for their kids. On the other hand, some parents find that getting children to a destination at a particular time, dealing with the kit and costs, and taking time off work for parental involvement, can amount to stress and pressure.So, does your child need to start extramural activities at an early age, or can he come home after school and play his own games and pursue his own interests? If you don’t enable him to participate in activities, will you be hindering his development to the extent that he won’t catch up later?
The message from the professionals is encouraging: If it’s fun and convenient, sign your child up. If it is neither of these things, don’t. Your child needs to play, be active and explore in ways that can easily be achieved at home or in your a park. Learning is supposed to be fun, so be sure it is – for you and your child.

Benefits of home activities

Raeesa Bulbulia, a Johannesburg-based occupational therapist and Melanie Hartgill, an educational psychologist agree that paid-for classes and activities are fun, but not necessary, they highlight that children should have the opportunity for movement and creative play every day. “They should be playing in the garden or park, with balls, beanbags, bowls of water, things to climb on, and things to swing on,” says Melanie. “Children are fairly simple creatures; we’re the ones who make it complicated.” “If you don’t have access to a garden, set up an indoor obstacle course for your child, giving him the opportunity to climb, crawl and go under and over obstacles,” adds Raeesa. Melanie also recommends that, from a safety point of view, children should be taught to swim as soon as possible. Raeesa says that bath time provides a chance for texture play with sponges, scrubbing pads, and different bottles and cloths.

Why children need to be active

Parents should encourage regular exercise in the form of cycling, running, walking, and home workouts for their children. We all know that young people of all ages require daily physical activity to ensure their healthy growth and development. But how much exercise should your child be doing daily?

We take a look…
“Physical activity is very important for all of us, but especially so for kids and young people,” says Anca Wessels, a Momentum Multiply expert in Biokinetics and Sport Massage Therapy. “In addition to improving their cardiovascular fitness, strengthening their bones and muscles, and reducing the risk of heart disease, creating healthy habits around physical activity from a young age will stay with your kids throughout their lives, setting them up for a healthier future.”