After school activity for your child (Part 1)

Hello everyone,


I was talking to a mother about her active son the other day so I thought I would mention the same advice here. We were talking about how some children need extra exercise and action, who need to be "kept busy" after school hours.


The first step for choosing the right after school activity for your child is to understand what they like. Is your child interested in sports? Is he put off by the fierce competitiveness, or does he find it hard to get along with teammates? Does your child vocalize his feelings, or is communication a problem?


For most children, physical exercise is always beneficial. Exercise takes up the extra energy and helps to stimulate the brain. Team activities such as Zebra soccer and basketball teach social skills and discipline. But, if your child shies away from team sports, you may want to look at activities like dancing, cycling, swimming or gymnastics. Martial arts not only teach techniques of self-defense but also teach self-control and patience.


Some activities are easier than others with regards to practicing at home on days when there are no classes. If your child is in soccer, baseball, karate or sports like these, you can practice some of the basics at home. You can do extra running or other conditioning exercises.


Some sports, like swimming or rock climbing, are not as easy to practice at home. You will need to find ways to add other extra fun movement activities to your weekly schedule. I will add some of those ideas in my next blog post.


Have a nice week!