There is no consensus on how children should spend their time after school, as the topic generates diverse opinions whenever it is discussed. While some argue that schoolchildren spend the hours after regular school activities for further studies, others believe that the period should be exhausted on playing with their peers. I will discuss both sides of the argument in this essay and give a concluding view.
On the one hand, those that supports fadditional studies after conventional school time believes it boosts children’s intelligent quotient to earn better academic grades. This is premised on the assumption that exposure to more academic materials stimulates the brain to improve its capacity, capability and functionality. For example, the Japanese, the Chinese and the Koreans and are regarded as the most brilliant in the world, thanks to the structure of their educational programs that incorporates mandatory extra-school sessions into the curriculum from the cradle. However, as mouthwatering as this practice appears, it can render growing children socially deficient, hence, cannot be used as a yardstick to advocate supplementary classes after school for every child.
On the other hand, allowing children to play with their colleagues after regular school time helps them to achieve complete social development. Grooming a complete child extends beyond rigorous and sometimes, overwhelming teaching sessions. Rather, it involves a combination of academic and extracurricular activities which helps a child to build social connections with his peers while also maintaining exceptional educational standards. The sociocultural aspect can only be honed outside school hours when the mind of the children are relaxed to spend their leisure with friends such as scavenger hunting, gardening, puppet show, tell me a story and so on. This opportunity would be lost if they are forced to have more academic sessions after school. Based on this, I feel every child should be left to enjoy reacreational activities after school and not coerced into extra learning during this period.
In conclusion, while the school grades of a child would improve through additional hours of studying after school, it deprives the child of growing up as a complete adult. Every child should therefore be free to play with their peers after school hours and not returned to the classrooms for more hours of studying to enable them achieve full development both academically and socially.