10 life hacks for organizing additional education for children

For modern parents, the additional education of their children is a real puzzle. I want to teach foreign languages, provide physical activity, develop creatively and culturally - but at the same time not overload the child with classes so much that he will not have personal time at all, and simply childhood. How to correctly choose additional activities for a child?

Here are 10 life hacks how not to miscalculate.

1. The child's peak activity is 9 am and 5-6 pm. During this time, you can plan physical activity. Later in the evening, you can engage in creativity. It is better not to plan any activities at 12-14 o'clock in the afternoon - this is a period of maximum loss of strength, it is better for the child to rest.

2. Do not load your child intellectually just before bed. There should be a time gap between difficult mental work and going to sleep, switching to another activity. Otherwise, the child's sleep will be superficial and will not help to fully relax.

3. Owl biorhythms are peculiar to adolescents. It is hard for them to go to bed early and get up early, but this is natural for all adolescents, there is no need to blame your child for this. Try to adjust his class schedule to accommodate this factor.

4. Don't overload your child. For full development, he needs personal free time. To do this, you need to allocate at least 3 nights a week. In pursuit of development, you run the risk of burning out the child, which will definitely not improve his knowledge, skills and abilities, but will only push him away from additional activities and the desire to learn.

5. Do not think that the excess of additional activities will save the child from harmful influences and pastime. Believe me, a teenager will always find a way to do what he wants, no matter how many extra activities he has. Of course, if he has no activities or hobbies at all, then it is easier to fall under the influence of the "street".

However, parents will have to accept that from a certain age of the child they will no longer be able to fully control him. Therefore, one way or another, a teenager needs to be given free time for his hobbies. Otherwise, he himself will find him, skipping classes.

6. Don't label yourself as a bad mother or a bad father. You may not be able to afford to pay for all the activities for a child that you would like: hire the best tutors, buy the best equipment, etc. But you are doing the best you can. And if you put the happiness of the child above your ambitions, then you are excellent parents.

7. Consider your own needs. If you spend all your personal time collecting your child for classes, taking them, bringing them, and doing additional homework together, you have no time for yourself at all. And you, in fact, do not communicate with the child, but only accompany and control. When scheduling additional classes, keep in mind that there should be free "windows" for yourself and for an interesting joint pastime with your child.

8. Classes should be diverse. That is, one is for physical activity, the second is for creativity, and the third is for the development of intelligence. So there will be no "bias" in one direction, the child will develop comprehensively.

9. If possible, reschedule classes from weekday evening to weekend morning. At this time, children learn new information better and feel more cheerful, more willing to go to classes.

10. Signs that your child's extra-curriculum schedule is correct:

• the child has time to simply walk in the fresh air at least 1 hour a day
• there is personal time, except for a walk, free evenings 2-3 times a week
• the child likes classes and in general he goes to them with pleasure
• there is no increased aggressiveness or tearfulness, nervousness
• the child did not get sick more often or try to feign illness
• the child has a normal appetite, he sleeps enough and does not stay up late with lessons.

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