Adolescents abandon extracurriculars when they need them most
Upon arriving at the institute, the number of hours dedicated to extracurricular activities falls sharply, and those carried out in secondary school are more focused on training
When Maria (19 years old) started her first year of high school, she dropped all her extracurricular activities: “I was so stressed that just thinking about the hours I would have to dedicate to them made it clear to me, but it was a terrible decision; before the end of the course, I started to feel anxious, I spent the whole day studying”, she recalls. Now that she is finishing her first year of physiotherapy degree, she admits she would do things very differently. In fact, when starting second year of high school, she resumed some extracurricular activities, and little by little she found the balance between studying, leisure, spending time with her friends, and taking care of herself. “I dedicated fewer hours to studying but I was more productive and happier,” she states. The false time thieves
What happened to Maria is common: adolescence arrives and the number of hours dedicated to extracurricular activities plummets. “Often the changes begin with the type of extracurriculars they do in secondary school, which are usually more oriented towards training,” comments Òscar Bretau, emotional companion and coach at Escola IPSE in Barcelona. In general, English and sports practice are the most widespread, although girls dedicate fewer hours to physical activity. During high school, when students tend to feel the pressure to achieve good academic results, it is recommended to "find a certain balance between studies and extracurriculars." We must stop believing that "activities done outside of class time are a thief of time," points out Bretau. But he also adds that we cannot lose sight of the fact that a brain that is too busy and stressed does not perform adequately. "If all free time is used to achieve goals, performance will decrease and they will self-sabotage." Besides recommending extracurriculars that can be a breath of fresh air, Bretau recalls the importance of doing nothing and sleeping a minimum of eight hours: "It is impossible for them to perform if they have not rested enough." Fewer group activities and more ‘scrolling’
Joan Carles Folia, educational advisor and coach, explains that it is common for young people to stop doing extracurricular activities upon reaching adolescence: "Around 11 or 12 years old, social bonds change, there is a hormonal explosion, and their interests begin to change." Bretau also believes that there are significant differences between this generation of adolescents and previous ones: "Now they have the infinite scroll at their fingertips, which is very harmful to all brains but especially to the adolescent brain." Technology, which is now presented as an alternative for non-curricular hours, attracts adolescents' attention more than any other sporting, cultural, or leisure activity.
Bretau considers that, despite a fairly widespread footballization of adolescence, there are young people who in secondary school and especially in high school stop practicing team sports and replace them with the gym, which implies less commitment and dedication. This is what Jan (16 years old) has done, who has quit football this course, halfway through his 4th year of secondary school: "I wasn't quite finding my place within the team and it was many hours, three days of training and matches on weekends, and I wanted to have more free time." This was the only extracurricular activity he did: at the start of secondary school he quit English and swimming, and now he has swapped football for the gym, where he sometimes meets up with friends from the neighborhood, "and some weekends we get together to play football". Families are usually worried that their children do not do anything productive during non-school hours and that they are not under their supervision, but, according to Bretau, gymnastics can involve other aspects that should be taken into account: “Young people are continually receiving inputs about the importance of a specific physique, and this perception of aesthetics and body cult from such a young age is worrying. They stop doing activities with a collective commitment and many try to respond to aesthetic demands that can be harmful”, warns this educational advisor. The type of extracurricular
When pressure for results grows and there is less free time, what should be taken into account when choosing leisure activities? For Folia, it is most recommended that the activities done during free time be diversified and that when choosing, it is taken into account that they have fun doing the extracurricular activity; otherwise, technological leisure will always take precedence: “After high school, motivation is low. No matter how much formative extracurricular activities are planned in a recreational way, they are more of the same, it is difficult for them to be fun and learn, and hence the importance of choosing activities that are different from academic life, which will guarantee more motivation.”
Bretau understands that families prefer their children to do extracurricular activities, but they should be more than a simple occupation and not involve over-training or over-stimulation. He insists on the importance of understanding the needs of this age group and that extracurricular activities can help cover possible emotional, self-esteem, or group belonging deficiencies. Extracurricular activities can be especially useful for young people who have problems integrating or feeling part of the group because their academic performance is not as expected: “They can feel fulfilled and find their place by doing an extracurricular activity, where sometimes the type of activity is not as important as how it is directed,” points out Bretau. Professionals recommend that families encourage their children to participate in activities that help them socialize, generate interest, and are preferably linked to non-sedentary activities. “There is no need to force them, but it is advisable to talk about the advantages of doing something away from academic activity, give them arguments about the benefits of practicing some physical activity and fostering human relationships,” Folia concludes.
- Develops self-esteem and confidenceSeeing themselves as competent in what they choose to do – music, sports, theater, cooking, etc. – which is separate from academics, especially if they are adolescents struggling to pass subjects, helps them develop their confidence and self-esteem.
- Helps build their new identityOne of the main challenges of adolescence is figuring out who they are. Discovering their talents through extracurricular activities contributes to the construction of their identity.
- Improves social skillsThrough extracurricular activities, they may have to work in teams, resolve conflicts, and even make new friends outside the classroom.
- Reduces stress and anxietyEspecially if they are extracurricular activities related to physical activity, they are a good emotional outlet.
- Creates habits of discipline and perseveranceIt requires organization, discipline, and perseverance to have time for extracurricular activities and continue with studies.
- Offers a sense of belongingThe choice of extracurricular activities says a lot about a person. By participating in them, they meet other adolescents with whom they share the same interests.
- Improves academic performanceEspecially in adolescence, having too much free time is not recommended. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for organizing and planning, is immature and not ready to do so. If there is little time because some of it is dedicated to extracurricular activities, one will need to plan, organize well, and make the most of the time dedicated to study.