While some individuals are of the view that hobbies outside of the academic realm are not worthy of children’s time and energy, I stand to differ with this perspective, and believe that hobbies, no matter what kind, can add great value to a child’s life. In my opinion, children benefit significantly from participating and investing time in a wide variety of leisure activities.
There are several reasons as to why children’s recreational activities need not necessarily be educational. First, it is a known fact that encouraging children to engage in activities that involve using their hands like pottery, knitting, painting, etc., is a helpful grounding experience as well as improves their ability to learn alongside developing their fine motor skills. Second, children already spend the majority of their time in a classroom, learning science, math, history and language, leaving them with limited amount of time to spend outdoors and connect with the nature. Connecting with nature can be very relaxing, calming, and regulating for our nervous system, therefore, engaging in extracurricular activities that can be done outdoors can add exceptional health benefits as it lowers the stress levels in our bodies. Third, activities like gardening, hiking, canoeing, yoga, can also help improve our physical strength and are all experiences that add joy to life.
I believe that one of the reasons people advocate that leisure activities ought to be educational, do so because they think it will add value to the future career of their children. If this is the case, it is helpful to know that activities that are not educational can also make for a good career for many people. For example, as a child, I participated in learning several different types of dance forms, and I chose to do so simply because dancing brought me a lot of joy. It allowed me to connect with my body and feel a sense of achievement in life. As an adult, I continue to not only dance for pleasure, but also teach beginner level workshops so that I can share this joyful experience with others and earn a side income from it.
In conclusion, I think it is quite an extreme opinion that activities, if not educational, are an absolute waste of time and resources. In fact, to the contrary, there are many added advantages of participating in activities outside of academic pursuits as they diversify our experiences, allow children to explore their likes and dislikes, encourages creativity, as well as promotes both physical and mental health.