Why does your teen need an extra curricular activity?

When I was a teen my mom often used to yell and call us inside the house as we were busy playing outside for innumerable hours with friends and doing sports all day long; but this is history now as in this modern age of video games, cell phones and chat rooms it’s a wonder if teens leave the house at all! If your teen’s idea of getting involved in sports is hooking up the video-game console to the television, it might be time to help broaden his horizons before he becomes a permanent fixture on the couch.

The teen years are all about trying out different persona, making friends and developing interests. It is a period of self-discovery through which teenagers develop an understanding of responsibility, self-concept and self-esteem. Extracurricular activities can help teens discover the interests and passions that contribute to their concept of self.

In this transition from a kid to teen you as a parent and observer should help them participate in extracurricular activities. It is very important that your child does extracurricular activities for the following reasons:

• Team Play: You child is a teen now and it is very important to acquire the social skill of a team player to succeed in life. Encourage your child to participate in a group sport or project and have fun at the same time.
• Time management: As a teen if your child learns to juggle between activities, it will definitely help in college and beyond.
• Persistence: It takes hours of practice to deliver a good recital even for a minute in drama production, indulge in activities which can teach your child persistence and patience.
• Relaxation: Sports (in the form of extracurricular activity) will exhaust your child physically but it will surely relax him mentally.

 Activity Options for Teens:

• Sports: This will be the first thing that comes to every parent’s mind when they think about extracurricular activities and there are abundant activities out there for your teen to explore.
• Volunteer: Any good cause will do! It could be helping the senior citizens, being an aid for underprivileged children or being a helping hand for the animals. This will help you teen develop a sense of community awareness and will build self-esteem.
• Join a Club: As a student you can participate in various clubs run by the College and/or school like chess club, debate team, theatre group, swim team etc there is something bound to pique his interest.

While doing any of the above your teen will learn to be a part of a team, working in a group and will surely find something they enjoy not what everyone else is doing.

Being persistent and patient will not only help them fit well in a group  but this will also bring out the inner confidence which they will carry into other areas of their lives to include their ability to make good choices and be respectful of other’s and individual interests.

Image Courtesy – http://stories.journalism.ku.edu/ (teens playing image)