How To Help Children Balance Activities After School

Illustration of how to help children balance activities after school (Freepic)

YOGYAKARTA Have free time, important for everyone. Not only adults who are already in a career, children also need to balance their obligations and extra activities.

Children tend to excel when they have a structured routine. Even activities after school, also need to be regulated. Activities after school, including following an exkul or pursuing certain hobbies, helping children socialize, exercise, and burn extra energy. When a child excels outside of school, it turns out to increase his self-esteem. Launching the Child Mind Institute, Wednesday, April 17, remains involved in out-of-school activities, helping children at a time when teenagers avoid risky behavior and drug use.

But it's important to note that outdoor activities must be balanced. Don't let too much activity make them tired, don't improve skills but instead stress. That is, children need to have free time to do whatever they want.

How to help children have activities after school remains balanced, avoid excessive scheduling. Make sure they still have time to do homework, spend time with their family and peers, and get enough sleep.

There is no ideal number of activities. You see, some children may be able to practice intense exercise as well as practice theater without feeling stressed. However, there are also children who do two activities while making them tired. So, tell the children how they feel about the balance of their activities. Most children find the limits and know when the limits are excessive.

To choose activities after school, consider your child's interests and talents. According to a speech pathologist and former school teacher in New York City, Rachel Cortese, there is a consensus that children should have the opportunity to experiment with various activities in clear time blocks. That means, talk about which activities children want, what they are interested in, and how to keep them in touch with them consistently.

According to clinical psychologist Jerry Bubrick, Ph.D., excessive after school activities, disrupt children's lives. Because there is no definite calculation of how extracurricular activities children can do after school, Bubrick suggests a number of lists. Make sure the child still has time to do homework, sleep more than 8 hours, and still has time to chat with family and friends.

Cortese's advice, parents must understand their children's boundaries. Do not let extracurricular activities after school make them tired, stressed, and overcrowded.