Extracurricular activities are a great way to engage your child early on, expose them to new experiences and teach them how to interact with others. Depending on the age and maturity level of your child, these can enrich their life in ways that you may not be able to achieve in a home setting. Keep in mind though, that there is always a delicate balance between giving your child the confidence to try something new, versus pushing them into something that they don’t enjoy and may end up dreading in the future. It’s never too early to start thinking about what your child is and isn’t ready for.
How Do You Tell The Difference?
It’s often tricky to tell if a child is ready to participate in an extracurricular activity. Some children are eager to have opportunities to engage with other children. This is especially true with children who receive early childhood education as they have already been provided with the opportunity to explore and in turn gain confidence in themselves and others around them. Younger children may seem ready, but if they act out when it’s time to leave your home or upon arrival, you may want to rethink if they are socially and emotionally ready to take this big step. For older children, extra curricular activities are a great way to make new friends and explore a number of new interests in settings that set them up for success.
What Works?
INFANTS
Infants can get overstimulated quickly. What usually fills their needs is to have a sustained block of time when they can investigate and explore materials and actions and interact with their peers or even pets. Whether at home or in an early childhood education setting, selecting a supportive and safe environment allows each child to naturally choose what to do based on personal interests, inclinations, and level of development and ability. Starting at this age, many parents explore taking their child to swimming lessons, which is also a healthy and helpful activity for infants. Not only does your child learn how to swim, but it can provide a rich bonding experience for all.
TODDLER
Toddlers are very curious at this stage and like to explore. As they start to become aware of the world around them, their personal interests, inclinations, and level of development and abilities broaden. Local libraries or businesses in your area may offer reading circles, music sessions, organized play or other classes that encourage exploration. Most toddlers are eager for any type of experience as they enjoy being around people and are curious about seeing other children.
PRE-SCHOOL
This is probably one of the trickiest times in your child’s life to gauge whether it’s time for small group activities such as ballet, Tae Kwon Do, wrestling or other programs that require a child to focus, follow direction and be independent enough to not have their parents in the same room. It’s not a time to be embarrassed if your child is not ready. Work closely with the instructor to discern what the next steps should be and if you should wait another year to join the program.
SCHOOL AGE
When children enter school, there is usually a bevy of extracurricular activities offered. This is the time to work with your child and help them narrow down what they are really interested in learning more about. Many schools offer after-school programs that are well attended since it lets friends find time to spend together outside of the classroom.
This is an important phase for parents to really learn their child’s personalities, study habits and how they respond in social situations. Parents may want to urge their child to try something new as it’s an empowering age. This is the time that children start to get a real sense of self, but need to be in an environment where they can try something new without the risk of failure.
Harbor Child Care offers a number of enrichment programs with creative curriculums, all working towards the goal of providing children with rich and unique experiences that will encourage them to grow and explore what interests them the most. The experts at Harbor Child Care are always available to offer guidance on what type of activities are age appropriate for your child. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help!
Remember, you know your child the best, but you need to know the difference between a child who is happy and ready to participate and one who is giving you signals that they just aren’t ready.
