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CLUBS AND ACT I V I T I ES
“The key, as with so much in life, is moderation. Encourage your child to try new things and stop an activity if they don’t enjoy it. If they do, you’re on to a winner...”
so immediately after school ends when they’re on their own. The continued adult supervision provided by after school clubs can help to keep them safe. The difficulty can be knowing when enough activity becomes too much. There’s no absolute rule. Children vary widely in their energy levels. For some, just one activity a week may be enough – particularly if it’s sports-related. Other children may have a range of interests and a zest for trying something new, so may thrive on a pick-and-mix approach, with something different every day of the week. However high a child’s energy levels (and some can seem stratospheric) they still need winding down time as well. Given that 90% of teenagers are estimated not to get enough sleep, the key is to take a close look at the way their lives are structured. The key questions – do they still have enough time to do their homework, meet their friends, enjoy family time and get a full night’s sleep? If the answer to any of these is ‘no’, they could well be doing too much, particularly if activities dominate family life to the extent that almost everything between school and bedtime, including meals, happens in the car. The key, as with so much in life, is moderation. Encourage your child to try new things and stop an activity if they don’t enjoy it. If they do, you’re on to a winner. Whether your child enjoys after school music, sport, art, cookery or something a little more unusual (like the thriving cheese club started by a foodie pupil) taking part can help them thrive, socially and academically. More importantly, they’re also great fun – as long as they don’t take over family life.
CAMBRIDGE EDUCATION GUIDE
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