by Selena Robinson

Created on: December 04, 2009

In today's world, parents are anxious to provide their children with the best education. As the job market becomes more competitive, many parents are preparing for their children's college years during early childhood. One way they do so is by enrolling their children in as many extra-curricular activities as possible. But are parents overloading their children with too many after-school events? How much is too much for preschoolers when it comes to extra-curricular activities?

When deciding whether or not to pursue an extra-curricular activity, the most important thing for parents to consider is what preschoolers need to learn. The preschool years are a time for learning basic social skills and early educational concepts. For an extra-curricular activity to benefit a young child, it should support these endeavors. There are several after-school classes that can help to reinforce these lessons.

For example, learning to play a musical instrument can teach a child the value of hard work and perseverance. Playing a team sport can teach children how to work together and how to have a healthy view of competition. Taking up a dance or gymnastics class can increase a child's gross motor skills and teach self-discipline. These are all valuable lessons for preschoolers to learn.

However, for these activities to truly benefit the child, they need to be balanced. Parents can select one or two activities that the child is interested in and encourage them to pursue them. Trying to pursue more classes than that could prove to be stressful for the child. Parents will also want to be careful about scheduling, since some activities require more time than others.

Dance, for example, usually has weekly classes. But, along with this, there will be the need for regular practices and seasonal recitals that may be some distance away. A child who is taking a class that involves a large time commitment might do better to pursue only that one activity for the time being. If a child is involved in more than one class, parents should try to avoid scheduling all the classes on the same day, so that their preschooler doesn't become exhausted.

For some children, even one extra-curricular activity may be too much. This is especially so with some special-needs children, who might be easily distracted and find it hard to concentrate on their school lessons. If an after-school class is negatively impacting a child's performance in school, parents should consider taking a break from the activity for a while.

Another reason to consider cutting back or eliminating an after-school activity is if the child genuinely dislikes the class. While sticking with a difficult pursuit can teach a child resilience, an child who is unhappy doing a certain activity should not be made to continue it. At such a young age, children have plenty of time to try different extra-curricular classes before deciding what they would really like to pursue.

Extra-curricular activities can be very valuable for preschoolers. They can help children to learn important life skills and help to broaden children's cultural awareness. But, like any other endeavor, they need to be used in moderation to be of real benefit to young children.

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