We all want our children to have the best opportunities to progress in the modern world, and skills are best learned when nurtured from a young age. But how much is too much?

Statistics show that children nowadays play outside 50 percent less than they used to in previous generations – an alarming figure that has led to rising obesity and attention-deficit problems. With this in mind, it's definitely a good idea to encourage your child to take up an after-school activity that has them running around and stimulates their minds, especially since research also shows that children who are active perform better academically.

But when do after-school activities become too much?

Stressed-out from a young age

Two separate studies conducted by the American Psychological Association in the US and by the NSPCC here have both found that one in three children now experience stress and even depression, and often for reasons their parents haven't considered.

The research showed that children are concerned about several issues: pressure to do well in school and at other after-school activities, worries over their family's finances, loneliness and worries over problems their parents are stressed about, such as impending divorce.

It's important to talk to your children about issues going on in the family, because even if you think that they are your own worries and your children aren't affected, they still can be, because they care about you.

What you can do to create a balance

If your child likes dancing, music and sports, it's fine for them to have some extra-curricular activities where they enjoy themselves and get to interact with other children, as well as developing new skills. Nonetheless, children on average get a lot of homework, and since these are important deadlines and assessments they need to meet, homework time needs to be prioritised first.

Children should never be over-scheduled, whereby they don't have any free time and have to spend their evenings and nights doing their homework after a string of lessons and activities. You only have your childhood once, and it's important for kids to have enough hours each week where they can enjoy carefree play and exploration with other children outdoors.

Talk to your child

Sit down with your child and consider sensibly together what are the most important things for them. Your child might be excited by all sorts of after-school activities and want to do them all, but that isn't feasible. And while you might want them to take after you and be a great pianist or rugby player or artist, they need to enjoy the after-school activity and not feel under too much pressure to please you.

Create a feasible schedule

It's also a good idea to draw up a schedule and see how many free hours your child has in a week, ensuring that they get the required number of hours of sleep a night, which is between nine to ten hours for children between the ages of 6-16.

Plan in their homework hours, as well as any compulsory family excursions such as trips to the doctor, dentist or grocery shopping, and then look at the time that is left. Be sure to leave half of that time untouched so that your child can have some time to themselves to either go outside to play or sit quietly and do a hobby they like.

By Mary-Ann Russon

Picture Credit: Photo by hortongroup on stock.xchng