The next asset in this series speaks to a child’s need for out of home activities. The Search Institute recommends that elementary age children be involved in an extra curricular activity for at least one hour per week. Teens should be involved for up to three hours per week in outside activities.
For many children extra-curricular activities can be joined at school when they are available. Many children of single parent families attend an after-school daycare type of program that may help fill this need for other activities. The idea is to help children define their areas of interest and pursue appropriate programs-not overwhelm the children and parents because they have to dash from one activity to the next.
Community recreation programs typically offer a wide variety of activities that include the arts and sports. These programs usually are less costly than they are through private companies. Try your city’s recreation programs before investing in private lessons. Private companies tend to be more expensive and can be more competitive. When a young person is first trying a new sport or activity, the lower the competition levels the better. As your child progresses you may want to look for other opportunities that will help his or her abilities to grow.
One word of caution when starting a new activity, wait a few weeks to make sure that your child will remain interested and committed in that particular program before investing a lot of money into the new venture. In other words, let your budding baseball star borrow a mitt and bat for a while before investing in new equipment. New activities can be very costly, and really strain a single parent’s budget.
Faith based programs are another good option. Often congregations offer low or no cost programs such as a children’s choir, drama productions, and volunteer opportunities.
According to the National Institute on Out-of-School Time “Studies show that children who participate in quality after-school programs get along better with others, have higher grades and self esteem, and behave better in school than children who do not participate in these programs.”