Steemit Engagement Challenge / S16/W4 - "Children Vs Extracurricular Activities by @huzaifanaveed1
This quote makes a lot of sense to me now that I've grown up. There's all sort of sadness around us, 95% of it due to not letting people realise their potential and not letting people do what they aspire to do. I clearly remember a friend I had in primary school who was an exceptional footballer but just because his parents couldn't understand that he could have a future in football, he was forced into academics and he couldn't do much in it. I saw him failing in his studies on daily basis and thinking about that now breaks my heart.
The problem is that we undermine extracurricular activities. Specially in third world countries where all we've seen are doctors and engineers and lawyers being successful, we think this is the only way. Thankfully things are changing. Slowly and gradually but at least parents now give a thought about their children's extracurricular activities.
In this post, I'll be talking about this topic in details. Lets begin:
I'm a doctor and trust me when I say that extracurricular activities play a more important role in a child's mental and physical growth than academics in the growing age. I'm not undermining academics but extracurricular activities are so so so important.
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There are hundreds of researches about the physical and mental well-being of children associated to extra curricular activities. You know there are some countries that do not start academic studies till a specific age and before that all they teach kids are ethics, physical excercises and stuff like that. These are the kind of children that turn out to be super successful in the future.
Extracurricular activities decreases the risk of diabetes, Hypertension, obesity, arthritis. It increases the metabolism. It helps in maintaining a healthy body, it helps you in breathing. It tones your muscles. These are all medical benefits of extracurricular activities but if we talk about other aspects, it increases self respect and develops confidence in children.
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If we take this picture as an example. I can't emphasize enough about what's going on their brains. The brains that are being created in this very room is dangerous. Chess helps in mental well being of children. It helps in strategical thinking. It makes you well prepared to be in tough situations. There are hundreds of other examples like this.
I believe it's a natural instinct of every child to explore. To be athletic. To think out of the box. To perform. To impress. It's us, the parents, the elders who restrict children to a small boundary that we have created around them. If we understand the importance of extracurricular activities, we'd never restrict our children in going out and participating in different activities.
I'm not saying that all we should do is focus on extracurricular activities but we should definitely prioritize it.
But you know what the issue is? Everyone wants am easy way out of everything. There are parents, who hand an electronic device to children in young ages so that the kids don't disturb them. The kid is not eating? Let's hand him a phone. He's disturbing? Lets glue him to the television. This is sooo harmful for the long run. The dopamine that is being created inside those tiny brains due to TVs and mobile phones is honestly terrifying. That dopamine should instead be created while they're playing outside.
Is it necessary? YESSS. It's absolutely necessary. If you want to have a healthy child who's healthy physically and mentally, than you need to engage him/her in extracurricular activities. You need to make him physically and mentally stronger so that he/she is ready to face the world.
Don't be that parent, who doesn't care about his/her children and believe that a little bit of rough sports or other activities will hurt your children. Trust me you're going to be proud of what the kid will turn put to be.
I think this question is subjective. What might be the best for your child might not suit the other one. This is exactly what I have emphasized in this post. We need to study the kid. We need to find out what's best for him/her
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Some children are born scientists. Some are exceptionally good at sports. Some love to paint while some some to spend time with animals. We need to be more welcoming towards children's choices and pave a way for them to be successful in whatever activity they want to.
This was it from my side. I hope you enjoyed reading my article. I'd like to invite @malikusman @steemdoctor1 and @event-horizon to take part in this contest.
Thank you
Regards
@huzaifanaveed1
I just saw your post on my friend's feed. Initially, I thought it might be a mistake or perhaps another user with a similar name to yours. However, when I visited your profile, all my doubts were dispelled. It was indeed you, our famous and beloved Huzaifa. 😍
I was ecstatic to learn that you are back. You might not know me because I started my journey here around the time you sadly left. But I must say, you, along with others who left at the same time, were my inspiration for blogging on Steemit.
I'm thrilled to see you return and am eager to read more of your posts. Welcome back to Steemit! 🙂
I'm so humbled. You're too kind waqar. But yes, I'm back and InshaAllah staying. Let's create history together
@huzaifanaveed1 Your insights as a doctor shed light on the profound impact these activities have on both physical and mental well-being. Thank you for advocating for a more holistic approach to child development. Wishing you the best of luck in the contest
Thank you for these kind words hamza
Greetings friend,
We consider getting a job a success and spend time chasing it. That is why we give less importance to extracurricular activities. You notice a student is interested in playing football but his parents do not allow him to play. This makes him lose interest in studies. Children should be given opportunities for physical labor to increase their interest. Your writing is excellent.
You're right. This approach is predominantly found more in the Asian countries
Pelajaran ekstrakurikuler sangat bagus untuk tumbuh kembang anak dari berbagai sektor, semoga aja dengan adanya pelajaran ini dapat membuat anak-anak bisa semakin berkembang
Charity begins from home. We'll have to change the approach first towards our kids.