Should kids study after school?

Should kids study after school?

There are several pros and cons for kids studying after school:

(1) Studying after school allows kids to dive deeper into a particular subject area. With kids moving from lesson to lesson, subject to subject, throughout the day, it can be challenging to go beyond the surface of a particular topic. After school, with more time, kids can read around or subject and deepen their understanding of it. 

(2) Studying after school allows kids to broaden their curriculum and explore new and exciting subjects such as coding, robotics, an unusual foreign language or Latin. Your kid's learning can be much more personalised. Traditional schools provide a relatively static delivery method through a traditional classroom, often with 30 children in a class with one teacher. With after-school learning, your child can experience one-to-one teaching; a personal learning experience is more likely to lead to better engagement. 

(3) Studying after school allows your kid to have a different kind of learning. Some children do not perform well in exams or when under pressure, and it's not just exam grades that suffer in the end. Poor academic performance will lead to lower self-confidence and self-esteem. So, an after-school learning experience may give a child a different way of learning, one which they might enjoy and one in which they might find more success. This can positively impact their confidence and lead to more positive outcomes. 

(4) If your child needs more structure, studying after school may help them keep focused and busy. However, some children don't need another thing to do, so do not force this. Sometimes the benefits of your child being able to relax, or do something on their own or with friends might outweigh the help of any after-school activity.

(5) The additional costs are the obvious downside of doing more after school. Sport, music or further academic learning will all cost time and money, though they may be considered investments in your child's future. 

In summary,  the answer to this question depends on your child and your family's specific needs. The pros can be good for your child, and with the right balance of after-school activities, you will see them flourish and thrive.

Found this useful? Send it to someone else!