Are children being pushed too hard by co-curricular activities?
For some parents co-curricular activities (CCAs) have become the default when it comes to childhood. A barrage of emails at the start of every new term promise something new to pour into our kids’ calendars — and most schools offer activities bundled with tuition fees, available for extra payment or through third party companies selected by parents.
But as students’ timetables become busier, the conversation has shifted from whether children should be busy — to whether they have time to switch off, dream and just be kids.
“One of the reasons we put him in so many activities is never because we felt pressure from school,” explains Dubai-based father of two, Arijit Nandi. “It’s simply because my son ENJOYS doing a lot of activities and being busy.”
Children “have so much energy”
“For me it’s about channelising his energy in the right direction and also keep them away from screens,” he adds. “We always ask him if he is getting tired.”
That said, Nandi’s son still manages tennis at 6am before school on Mondays, swimming in the middle of the week, guitar on Sundays, plus Arabic lessons, TED-style inspirational sessions and private tuition around the other days.
“He does have his free play time at the park though,” Nandi says his son still loves. “And we always make sure he has time for that.”
Activities should ‘guide’ children’s energy
Kenji Takahashi, who is Japanese but lives in the UAE with his family, takes a less intense approach. He and his wife make sure that their daughter’s after-school schedule is “not just full just for the sake of being busy.”
Her activities include piano, karate and art. But Takahashi says they are careful to leave gaps in her schedule so that she can just “ride her bike or play with friends.”
“It’s about guiding her energy,” he says, “not controlling it.”
For Girish Hemnani, a Dubai-based life coach and energy healer, childhood agendas can become problematic when parents and schools get caught up in a competition of busyness.
Children need downtime to let their minds wander
Hemnani says that “kids and parents get sucked into this illusion of productivity,” with both parties rarely questioning if children are being allowed to simply be kids.
“Brain scientists have established that when we are bored our brain goes into a mode called the Default Mode Network,” Hemnani tells NYDJ Parenting. “It’s responsible for daydreaming, imagination and ultimately creativity.”
He says that without enough downtime to let the mind wander, children are not afforded the opportunity to “recalibrate.” Hemnani also points to research highlighting how free play is crucial to developing executive function; thinking skills responsible for setting goals, self-control and taking initiative.
“There’s also the consequence that they don’t know how to switch on and entertain themselves,” he warns. “If we, as parents, are slipping into boredom because we’re working from home on computers all day and binge watching TV shows on the internet, we’re likely to accept this hustle culture as kids having no downtime as normal.”
'A tired child can’t thrive'
Education leaders in the UAE are now questioning whether CCAs are always beneficial. Speaking to NYDJ Parenting earlier this year, Wayne Howsen, principal of The Aquila School in Dubai said that extra-curricular activities should never be used as childcare.
“A child should only do activities they have a genuine interest in,” he advised. “Schools can provide lots of wonderful activities to develop teamwork, problem-solving skills and even multilingual abilities. But the child has to want to do it.”
Natalia Svetenok, principal at Woodlem British School in Ajman, agrees. “A tired child just can’t thrive and will not be able to absorb anything in class,” she tells NYDJ Parenting. “We really try to think about whether an activity adds joy or pressure.”
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