In this video game and social media era, parents are often relieved when their children want to actively participate in extracurricular activities. Sports, art, music, and other activities give skills for kids to hone and an outlet to release any hidden talents and potential that they may enjoy. They teach your child skills that could open many doors for them later in life.

If your child is shy, an enrichment program and other activities give your child a chance to succeed socially by bonding with other kids, learning to work in a team environment, and learning to deal with the success of winning and the disappointment after a tough loss.
They can feel like they are a part of a supportive network, which will reassure you as a parent.

Moreover, you may discover that through extracurricular activities, you and your children share a passion for certain things. This shared interest will bring you closer as you share your experiences with them, making you feel more connected and involved in their growth and development.

When setting goals for social skills for your children as they grow and mature, many of them can be enhanced and matured through the experience gained through extracurricular activities.

The importance of getting kids involved in extracurricular activities can not be over exaggerated. It’s when kids have nothing to do that they get into trouble. It’s also when parents are not involved in their kids lives. Being involved and giving them something to do could be as simple as you teaching soccer to kids so that your kids and other can be involved in an urban soccer league or youth soccer tournaments. Here are a few reasons why doing something like this is important.

Keeps Kids Out of Trouble
Think about it, if a kid wants to learn how to play soccer, he or she is going to spend their time practicing and bettering their skill so that they can get into an urban soccer league. This will take away from time that they could be hanging out with their friends, vandalizing or trespassing or worse. Statistics show that the main reasons why good kids get into trouble with the law is simply boredom and peer pressure. If you can eliminate the boredom then they won’t be hanging around the wrong people as much and thus the peer pressure is also eliminated. Most kids are genuinely good kids, they just have nothing to do and one thing leads to another and they end up getting themselves into unnecessary trouble.

Gives Parents Something in Common With Their Kids
As kids get older, it’s harder to them to continue to bond with their children. When kids are younger, they think their parents are the greatest thing in the world. Then they hit those teenager years and go through a phase where their parents are old and outdated and don’t understand them. If you can involve yourself in something that they enjoy such as urban soccer league or some sort of involvement with their summer soccer programs or whatever they are involved in, it’ll give you a chance to reconnect with your child. No matter what they say, all kids want to know that their parents are proud of them and love them so you can use the sport or activity that they are in to show them how great they can really be. Going to all their games, helping them get better and showing a genuine interest can help you see how talented your child is- and you should tell them that.

Betters a Child’s Already Natural Talent
If a kid goes to a summer soccer camp for an urban soccer league, it’s usually because it’s something they are interested in or good at and they want to get even better. By sending them to places where they can be taught one on one to overcome weaknesses and challenges and better their strengths, you are doing all of the above: keeping them out of trouble while they’re at camp, bonding with your child by showing them you believe they’re good enough to go to camp and allowing your child the opportunity to continue to play better. Having a natural talent for sports, music, art or any creative activity can spark a level of confidence in kids. That confidence will only grow as they increase in ability in their talent. This is only one reason why it’s good to better a child’s talent once you see it budding. Another reason is the better they are at it, the more likely they are to continue to enjoy it.

Sometimes it can be hard to see our kids grow up and develop their own interests and likes and dislikes but it’s all apart of the circle of life. Once you see that your child has an interest or a talent, you should capitalize on that immediately. However, be balanced. Don’t look at your child as your retirement plan. This will put a lot of undue pressure on them to ensure that they ‘make it’ and they may begin to resent the very thing they once loved. Let them have fun with it as long as they want and if they change interests, be 100% for that activity as well, no matter what it is. You’ll be surprised at how much your child will open up to you just because you support their interests and hobbies.