When your kids are young, picking and choosing extracurricular activities is something of a free-for-all. You don’t know what they’re going to like ” and, usually, neither do they “so you sign them up for a few different things and see what sticks.
“It’s a great time to let your kids test the water,” said licensed psychologist Suzanne Collins who works with children and families at L+C Psychological Services – Adult, Family, and Child Therapy in Florence.
It’s also a good time to stick with activities with shorter durations, such as a six-week-long soccer season. That way, you have more time to have your child try out a few different things and, if your child doesn’t like something, it won’t last long.
Once you notice your child starting to enjoy an activity or two more than others, you can start setting some limits, such as telling him or her that playing baseball in the spring means no soccer (at least for that season).
For kids who are shy and aren’t acting enthusiastic about participating in a sport or joining a club, it’s OK to push a little.
In fact, Collins said, it’s actually important.
“I strongly recommend extracurricular activities for kids who have some social struggles,” she said. “During the school day, there is some social interaction but not a lot, so for kids struggling to make friends or engage with their peers, extracurricular activities are the best way.”
You can try enticing your child into anything you think he or she might enjoy, such as a LEGO club, chess club, sewing club, or cooking club. There are plenty of options for the summer and most programs are registering kids now. It doesn’t have to be a sport. And you can use the buddy system as motivation.
“You can tell your child, ‘I know you don’t think you want to do this, but your friend Bobby is doing it, so we’re just going to try it out with him,’” Collins said. “Giving him or her a comfort level is important.”
So is giving your child an out and letting him or her know that it’s not for life; it’s only for a few weeks.
Also, if your child doesn’t want to veer from one activity, but you’d like him or her to branch out, try keeping the activity he or she wants and adding the one you want, too.
“You say, ‘I know you want to do this, but I want you to do this, so let’s try both this year and see what you think,’” Collins said.
