Children and Extracurricular Activities: Overview

Extracurricular activities play a significant role in the lives of school-aged children, encompassing a variety of structured pursuits like sports, music, dance, and clubs. Participation rates in these activities can be influenced by factors such as gender and family income, with surveys indicating that more children are engaging in such activities than in previous years. While many experts recognize the developmental benefits of extracurricular involvement—such as the acquisition of life skills like teamwork and communication—there is ongoing debate about whether children can become overscheduled, which may lead to stress and burnout. Some research suggests that moderate levels of stress can be beneficial for growth, but excessive pressure can detract from the positive effects of these activities. Additionally, the importance of unstructured free time is highlighted as crucial for creativity and self-reliance. Parents' attitudes and involvement are key determinants in how these activities affect children's well-being, with some professionals advocating for a balanced approach to scheduling. Current trends indicate that girls tend to participate in lessons and clubs more than boys, while boys have higher engagement in sports. Understanding these dynamics can help parents navigate the complexities of extracurricular involvement, ensuring that their children benefit from these enriching experiences without becoming overwhelmed.

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Introduction

A significant proportion of school-aged children participate in extracurricular activities such as sports; music, dance, language, or other lessons; and clubs, such as religious youth groups and Scouts. The rate of participation varies based on gender, family income level, and type of activity, among other factors. While most experts agree that extracurricular activities help kids develop important life skills, opinions differ over whether children can have "too many" activities and what the potential impact might be.

Some experts argue that extracurricular activities provide important enrichment opportunities, help children become well-rounded beyond an academic setting, and teach skills such as hard work, friendship, and conflict resolution. Other experts agree that extracurricular activities can have these benefits, but they caution that the stress from being overscheduled can negate the positive effects, place undue stress on parents, and strain the entire family.

Understanding the Discussion

Extracurricular activity: Structured time during which a child participates in a formal activity outside of school, such as a sports team, music lessons, or a club.

Free play: Unstructured time for a child to play and make up their own activities.

Soft skills: Interpersonal skills that enable people to interact effectively with others. This includes skills such as communication, leadership, and conflict resolution.

Background

Parents and experts alike have long believed that participation in extracurricular activities provides important enrichment for children. In 2014, the US Census Bureau reported that 57 percent of children between the ages of six and seventeen participated in at least one extracurricular activity. Of those who did, 35 percent participated in sports, 29 percent in clubs, and 29 percent in lessons such as music, dance, or language; some children participate in more than one of these activities simultaneously. In some states, laws around homeschooling have included provisions allowing homeschooled children to participate in public extracurricular activities.

Experts cite several specific reasons for enrollment in extracurricular activities. When both parents work outside the home, structured extracurricular activities can fill critical gaps in childcare coverage for kids that are too old for daycare but too young to be home alone. Additionally, well-meaning parents believe that extracurricular activities can help their children find their aptitudes and passions, and therefore they push engagement in a large number and variety of activities. Finally, some parents worry that their child will fall behind their peers and risk harming college admission prospects if they do not master a variety of skills at a young age.

While experts generally agree that extracurricular activities carry significant benefits for children, conflicting opinions exist as to whether engaging in many such activities simultaneously is helpful or harmful for children. On one hand, studies such as the 1992 National Education Longitudinal Study reported that students who participate in extracurricular activities attain higher levels of school attendance and academic achievement. However, the study could not discern whether this was because students' participation makes them more likely to succeed or students who are already successful are more likely to participate. On the other hand, some studies have suggested that overscheduling can cause significant stress and carries the risk of burnout for children. For example, a 2006 KidsHealth poll of 882 children ages nine through thirteen found that 41 percent said they felt stressed either "most of the time" or "always" because they were too busy. More than 75 percent of the surveyed children said they wished they had more free time.

Although psychologists and education professionals disagree about whether or not too many activities can harm a child, they do agree that parents' attitudes can largely determine how the activities affect children's well-being. For example, psychology professor Suniya Luthar expressed the belief that the intensity with which the activities are pursued, rather than the number of activities, creates a problem. She said problems arise when children's performance in these extracurricular activities becomes more important than their participation—an attitude that often comes from a child's parents.

By contrast, clinical psychologist Polly Young-Eisendrath does believe that too many activities intrinsically present a problem. However, she agrees with Luthar that the primary factor in determining benefit or detriment to the child is the parents' role in, and reaction to, the activities. She has observed that too often children are involved in multiple activities because their parents are competing with other parents over their children's abilities, rather than because the child expressed interest in the activity. Further, clinical psychologist and author Michael Thompson has suggested that the children who are most likely to experience stress and burnout from too many activities are the ones whose parents are highly successful and controlling in their own lives. These parents may enroll children in numerous activities not because the child shows interest but because of the parents' fear that the child will fall behind their peers without the activities.

Another important distinction is the difference between "healthy" stress and "distress." According to researcher Hans Selye, moderate amounts of stress can be healthy, even for children. For example, a child who enjoys playing baseball might benefit from the pressure of attending regular practices and competing in games. Learning how to manage this type of stress is an important part of growing into a healthy adult. But Selye cautioned that distress can occur if the child feels overwhelmed by involvement in too many stress-inducing activities simultaneously.

Because of the vital role a child's physical and mental health plays in their development, professionals encourage parents to watch for signs of stress from overscheduling. For example, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has recommended evaluating whether one's child is showing signs of insufficient sleep, declining academic grades, or claiming to be "sick" before attending practice or meetings. These signs could indicate that the child is not interested in a particular activity, or is feeling overwhelmed by engaging in too many activities at once.

While there is no consensus among professionals regarding whether "too many" extracurricular activities can harm a child, there is agreement that some amount of unstructured free time is an important aspect of child development. Mary Bousted, a teacher, academic, and union leader, has noted that constant stimulation from structured activities is exhausting for both children and parents. To fully receive the benefits of extracurricular activities, Bousted has said children need downtime "to allow them to make sense of what they have learn[ed] and experienced." Children also learn important life skills such as inventiveness, resourcefulness, and self-reliance when they engage in free play and unstructured free time.

More broadly, clinical psychologist Paula Bloom has noted that the stress on parents caused by overscheduling children can negatively impact the entire family. Parents model behavior to their children, who must learn important time- and stress-management skills. She has cautioned that allowing children's activities to drive important family decisions can put undue stress on children, as well as strain the parents' relationship with each other and lead to a potentially unhealthy environment.

Even economists have weighed in, given that formal extracurricular activities can be expensive. Experts such as writer Barbara Dafoe Whitehead have observed that, while parents often say no to material goods, they find it harder to say no to "opportunities" and "enrichment" activities for purely financial reasons. This can lead to children engaging in more extracurricular activities than they can handle comfortably, and it is up to the parent to step in to help the child learn how to manage their schedule.

Mental-health professionals and communities have continued to explore ways to curb the burnout that results for children and their parents from too many scheduled activities. For example, child psychiatrist Alvin Rosenfeld and his colleagues have organized and promoted National Family Night, encouraging American families to set aside one night a year free from scheduled activities to spend unstructured free time together. Other organizations have similarly advocated setting aside time for slower-paced family activities such as monthly game nights or eating dinner together.

Children and Extracurricular Activities Today

The US Census Bureau's A Child's Day: Historical Tables and Figures reported in 2022 that a higher percentage of children between the ages of six and seventeen took part in extracurricular activities in 2020 than they did in 1998. The report also tracked differences in rates of participation by type of activity and by children of different sexes and poverty levels during this time period.

The percentage of students who played sports generally increased, with some fluctuation, between 1998 and 2020. At the same time, the bureau reported that a higher percentage of boys engaged in sports-related activities than girls, and that this difference remained consistent over time, with 41 percent of boys involved in sports in 1998, compared to 44 percent in 2020. Girls' involvement in sports increased between 1998 and 2020, from 29.8 percent to 34.6 percent.

The 2022 Census Bureau report found that between 1998 and 2020, girls took lessons in consistently higher proportions than boys over time and that participation rates increased for both boys and girls during this time. The percentage of girls taking lessons increased from 33.5 percent in 1998 to 37 percent in 2020, compared to the percentage of boys taking lessons, which also increased, from 24 percent in 1998 to 27 percent in 2020.

As with lessons, girls joined clubs at consistently higher rates than boys did between 1998 and 2020. Unlike the lesson participation rates, however, the overall club participation rates for both boys and girls decreased during this period. The percentage of girls active in clubs decreased from 38 percent in 1998 to 29 percent in 2020, while about 32 percent of boys were active in clubs in 1998 compared to 29 percent in 2020.

A Child's Day: Historical Tables and Figures also tracked children's extracurricular activity participation rates by income-to-poverty ratios (IPRs) for three groups: those with an IPR less than 100 percent, below the poverty line; those with an IPR between 100 and 199 percent; and those with an IPR of 200 percent or higher. The report confirmed that children in households with higher IPRs had higher rates of extracurricular participation. The report also showed that participation in club activities decreased across all three IPR groups between 1998 and 2020, and that participation rates for sports activities and lessons only increased among children from households with an IPR of 200 percent or higher.

At the same time, some schools nationwide faced ongoing issues maintaining and offering a range of extracurricular activities due to budget and funding constraints.

These essays and any opinions, information or representations contained therein are the creation of the particular author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of EBSCO Information Services.


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