It’s freaky how parents’ tendency nowadays is to over-schedule their pre-schoolers or elementary kids. There are those who tend to give children one activity after another. Some even pressure their children to study for 2 or more hours after school or have them enrolled in programs which they think would help them get admitted in top-ranking schools.
But have you noticed the children lately, they cry over things they don’t usually cry about. They have sleepless nights even if they complain of a tiresome day, they even complain of headaches now which is not likely for kids unless they have fever.
All these structured, routine activities are stressing them out instead of helping them learn. School in itself is stressful and adding more after school activities is just adding up to their stress.
Instead of learning, children often become easily frustrated. I tried observing some children even my own girl and they try so hard to satisfy their parents. Even if sometimes they are just to tired to do things, they will still work just to make their parents proud and if their parent’s get disappointed the children gets frustrated and irritated and would cry silently.
We often react to this with anger, harsh words, and explanations of why they should do this and why they should prepare for a better tomorrow. But children these young don’t really understand why, and maybe they just need a time out.
Have you tried looking back at your own childhood? Comparing how you spent your days then, playing after school, sitting in the park just resting, running around with the other children and daydreaming. That is childhood, it’s all about playing, dreaming and discovering news things. This is how a person learns the realities of the world, by experiencing it, not by reading it in a book. We adults are very lucky to have experienced. Kids now would come home, have a drink of water and hit their books at their parents’ command. It’s all too sad how they have no more time to play, interact with people and dream.
Carleton Kendrick Ed.M., LSCW said in and article on over schedule kids that “ kids whose lives are so tightly structured and schedules are not learning how to feel comfortable on their own, alone with their imagination, free to pursue their natural curiosities and sense of wonder, encouraged to become resourceful, self-reliant.”
We always want our children to be productive and we give them structured routine activities. What we don’t realize is that with playing they are productive, they exercise their imagination and they learn.
There have been researches supporting the theory that it is important for children to do self-initiated, unstructured play or work to allow them to develop their neurological and cognitive growth.
Sure the world is moving at a fast pace but childhood is childhood and it shouldn’t be stolen from children.
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