Extracurricular sports activities outside school hours can help teenagers to make effective use of their free time after school. In addition to the usual hobbies, such as reading, playing games or meeting friends, activities such as sports or music lessons are especially important for teenagers. When considering an extracurricular activity, you should make sure that it is fun for your child. Free-time activities should never be a bad time or cause extra stress.

Teenagers who are particularly active can burn off their excess energy with a sports extracurricular activity. Sport as an extracurricular activity avoids sedentary lifestyles without affecting the school rhythm. The type of sport that best suits your child will depend on their interests and preferences.

Extracurricular activities, examples for teenagers

Skating

Skating, like walking, running and swimming, is an aerobic exercise that helps keep the heart healthy. It also strengthens leg and spinal muscles, and improves muscle tone, balance, agility and flexibility. An ideal extracurricular activity for teenagers.

Tennis

Tennis requires concentration and tactical thinking, which generates new brain connections, promoting cognitive development, according to a scientific study by the University of Illinois. Tennis, an extracurricular activity that we offer at St. George British International School, helps teenagers learn the importance of competition and responsibility that individual sport requires, which is reflected in academic performance, where the only person responsible for success will be him/herself.

Basketball or football

In addition to the benefits of physical exercise, basketball or football brings other benefits that are ideal for this stage. Indeed, sport is essential for them as it relieves stress, helps them understand and set limits, helps them learn to respect rules, helps them get to know their bodies better, instils a spirit of self-improvement and improves their self-esteem. Team sports in particular teach them to cooperate with others in pursuit of a common goal.

4 tips for choosing extracurricular activities for teenagers

1. Talk to your teenager. If, for example, you think language is essential as an activity, let your teenager choose the second activity.
2. Physical exercise is essential to improve learning, but this does not mean that they should be enrolled in a sports club, as they can exercise in other ways. Avoid becoming a slave to your child's sporting activity, he/she should have fun.
3. Listen to your children and detect what their abilities and learning style are. It will give you clues to choose activities they enjoy. If they don't enjoy it, forget about it.
4. Don't overload their schedule. You have to leave time for study and boredom.