From skateboarding and parkour to roller-skating and cooking classes, there is now a never-ending choice of extra-curricular activities. Video / NZ Herald
With school starting next week, it’s time for parents and kids to get organised – and the Herald is here to help. Today, Adam Ray looks at after-school activities.
When five-year-old Rheed Lessing starts school later this month and gets into his after-school activities, his mother Tania Wilson will haveone important piece of kit ready.
“I have to have a whiteboard in the kitchen because I might forget what he has some days.”
The whiteboard will show Rheed heading to swim lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays, with jiu-jitsu on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Rugby was on Fridays last year, but Wilson has her fingers crossed it will move to Saturdays.
That was because Rheed plays in Panmure due to family links to the Marist club and his father living nearby. Wilson and Rheed live in Silverdale, so rugby on Fridays meant a long drive through rush-hour traffic.
“We are hoping and praying it will change to a Saturday.”
Along with the parental commitment to take Rheed to all his activities, there are the costs – hundreds of dollars a term for jiu-jitsu, swimming, and rugby.
Wilson says Rheed is excited to do all his activities and he’d be less active if they came home after school.
“I don’t want to be that parent where he just comes home and jumps on his iPad.”
The return of the school year also means a return to extra or after-school activities, with a seemingly endless list of options – and costs - for families to manage.
Tania Wilson says her son Rheed Lessing is excited to get on with all his after-school activities. Photo / Michael Craig
Wilson says children now have an array of options compared to when her other children – now in their late teens and twenties – were younger.
“Rugby or soccer – that’s all there was. No jiu-jitsu or dance class.”
All that choice can present a challenge for families looking for the most suitable extra-curricular activities for children.
Kelly Curr from Sport NZ says parents should listen to their children to find out what they enjoy about a sport.
Kelly Curr is a regional sport development consultant for Sport New Zealand, and says if a child is interested in sport, parents should ask them why - and what makes it fun for them.
“The best thing that parents can do is talk to their kids - and listen.“
Ben Lau is chairman of Menza, which represents music teachers from primary to tertiary level, and agrees that parents should pick activities that will interest their children.
“I think it’s very much dependent on what a student is interested in,” says Lau, who is also head of music at Newlands College in Wellington.
Some kids will be interested in activities such as playing music in competitions, while others will take up music to learn and develop new skills.
Curr says the same follows for playing sport, with perhaps 1 per cent of young players going on to an elite pathway.
So the majority just need the chance to play - and enjoy - sport.
“Social sport is still fantastic, because you are learning all these skills around working together as team, resilience - a whole level of wellbeing outcomes.“
School Sport NZ is the interface between secondary schools and organised sport and runs about 240 events a year, from traditional, championship-style tournaments to less competitive carnival events.
“Carnival level is trying to enhance that value of sport. It’s not about winning the trophy, it’s about all the social and mental benefits that come with participation in sport,“ says Mike Summerell, chief executive of School Sport New Zealand.
The approach of making sport more fun and accessible is central to the ‘Balance is Better’ campaign from Sports NZ, aiming to keep kids playing sport - regardless of their level of ability or motivation.
But parents can be as much of a barrier as their kids when it comes to taking on extra-curricular activities.
Many families worry if they have the time for tasks such as organising transport or even coaching.
Curr says any input from parents adds to the experience their kids will enjoy.
“Volunteers drive our sport - we couldn’t do it without passionate people.“
Menza chairman Ben Lau says teachers are always conscious of the cost faced by parents.
Cost is another big barrier - even more so in a time of high inflation.
Under Education Ministry guidelines, activities that are part of a school curriculum are free, while those outside the curriculum can be charged.
Lau says teachers are always conscious of putting any costs on families. Schools provide instruments for any music in class and, if families want their own instruments, there are options for them to be rented out to limit costs.
“If there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Curr says families can be honest with kids, and limit their activities to keep costs down.
Second-hand gear is another way to keep within budgets. The Replay charity scheme has collected and redistributed more than 30,000 items such as balls, boots, and racquets since its inception in 2017.
And while extra-curricular activites can put extra costs and time demands on families, there are clear benefits to those who participate.
One of the biggest changes that Lau has noticed with children in recent years is the impact of the pandemic on confidence levels.
“Covid affected their self-esteem and made it harder for kids to give it a go.”
Lau aims to keep music sessions as fun as possible, with plenty of encouragement, so kids who take part in such activities can work on their skills - and their confidence, too.
