No parent wants to see their children cooped up inside all week while others around them participate in classes and extracurricular activities.
It’s difficult, however, to know just how to encourage your child to join in on extracurricular activities.
Especially when they seem too shy, reluctant or just disinterested.
TIPS TO GET YOUR CHILD INVOLVED IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
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The important thing is that you, as a parent, try to remain positive, calm and create opportunities for your children.
There are many ways to positively steer your kids in the right direction.
COMMUNICATE
Start communicating with your child to find out what may be holding them back from participating.
Perhaps your little one is afraid of getting hurt or is lacking the confidence in their abilities to perform certain extracurricular activities.
EASE THEIR MINDS
No matter what their reasoning is for not participating, it’s important to get to the root of the issue and attempt to ease their concerns.
Show them that you are willing to work with them to find something they are interested in.
BE A ROLE MODEL
If you rarely step outside your comfort zone, your children will not be inspired to step outside theirs.
Instead, show your kids that you enjoy participating in a wide variety of activities.
Let them see you hitting a yoga class or attending a book club.
Leading by example is a great way to inspire your children to participate in their own extracurricular activities.
PARTICIPATE TOGETHER
Take your children to activities that you can participate in together.
Show them how much fun it can be to step outside their comfort zones.
If you give them a chance to participate when they are comfortable with you around, they are more likely to take a chance next time when you’re not available to go with them.
PAIR THEM UP
If your little one has an older sibling that is already participating in something, have them help you to encourage them to try something new.
Enroll them both in an activity that they can do together.
This will help to ease your little one’s mind and show them that participating isn’t as scary as they once thought.
HAVE PLAYDATES
Does your little one have friends that participate in extracurricular activities?
Invite them over for a playdate and have them talk about their experiences.
Seeing that their friends are engaged in an activity and having fun may give them a push in the right direction.
START SLOW
When you finally cross that barrier with your child and get your little one to agree to try a new extracurricular, make sure you start slow.
Don’t bombard them with several activities all at once.
Choose something that takes place once a week, rather than something they will be expected to attend more often.
Starting slow is less threatening to a child who isn’t always so keen to participate.
DIP DEEP
Not every child is artsy or sporty.
Instead, find out what your child’s specific interests are to come up with something that caters to their strengths.
If your children love superheroes, a comic book drawing class may be a good idea.
If your child leans more towards dancing, a dance class can be exciting.
The activities you choose for your children should be something they are interested in.
PROVIDE AN OUT
Perhaps the activity that they started isn’t really something your child enjoys.
If they attended several times and just don’t seem interested, let them skip a week before trying again.
Putting too much pressure on your children to participate, could backfire.
OFFER PRAISE
When your child tries a new extracurricular activity, let them know how proud you are that they are taking the steps necessary to participate.
Positive reinforcement is incredibly important when attempting to encourage your children to try something new.
Showing your children you support them, may be just what they need to take the leap.
There are many ways to encourage your children to get involved in extracurricular activities.
Just remember to open the lines of communication, be a role model, don’t rush it and find something that interests them.
When your little one finally takes the leap and tries something new, always remember to praise their efforts.
Your children will find something that they are interested in and they will enjoy themselves outside of the home with these simple steps in no time.
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