by David Aaron White

Created on: September 07, 2009

If you're a child between the ages of ten and fifteen, ask yourself: what do you do after school? Do you take the bus home, throw down your school bag, and sit in front of the television for an hour or so? Do you lie on your bed and stare into space? Or do you get into riskier business, such as vandalism or prank phone calls? See, people who get into these counter-productive and useless behaviors do so because they're bored; if they had something to do after school, such as activities, then they wouldn't be as bored, therefore lessening the chance that they would partake in such tomfoolery.

I have grown up with things to do after school, and I count myself very fortunate for it. I never really had time to "mess around" because I was constantly occupied with piano lessons, baseball practice, umpire's training; even SAT preparation counts. When you give a child something to do, you don't only keep him or her out of trouble; additionally, you give the child skills that he or she can use in the future. For example, I am rather appreciative of the fact that I had to play piano after school for seven arduous years, because I now have a better understanding of music theory and can read music. If you have something to do after school, you can learn skills that aren't necessarily taught in school.

Believe it or not, being busier means being more efficient. If you know that you need to go to baseball practice at five o'clock and get home at three, what are you more likely to do in those two hours: watch television, or do your homework? When you have an activity after school, you have motivation to get your work done, this motivation being that you need to go to practice in a few hours and don't want to be up too late working. If you know that you "have to get it done" then you're much less likely to put it off until later. By eliminating procrastination, you can become a better student by having less time at your disposal.

After school activities are often chances for kids to socialize with people they don't always get to see during the school day. I remember making several friends running cross country after school; though these people went to my school, they were older than me and I hardly saw them at all until practice. If you want a better social life, go out and try doing something after school to meet some kids. What makes this even better is that you're bound to meet someone with a common interest automatically; if you're learning how to paint and take a painting class with twenty other kids, then you already have something to share with them!

Sometimes, having too much free time can be a bad thing. Remember what I said about going home and watching television? Though you're not going to destroy your brain with television, television requires no thinking at all and puts your brain in a "lull" or vegetative state temporarily, diverting your mind from actual, progressive thinking. Watching television by yourself, though entertaining, is actually a waste of time. If you don't have anything better to do than sit at home and watch television after school, then I pity you, for you should be putting your complex, human brain to better use.

After school activities help children become more productive, efficient, and can help them meet new people. You should find an activity that suits your interests and start it as soon as possible; who knows, you could pick something at random and end up falling in love with it. But please, if you can't find any activities and have nothing better to do than watch television, do one of two things: work out, or write.

Learn more about this author, David Aaron White.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.