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Parenting and child development

Extracurricular activities

Organized activities a child does outside regular class time, like sports, music, clubs or scouts, usually after school or on weekends.

What It Means

Extracurricular activities are organized activities outside the regular school day, such as sports teams, music or dance lessons, clubs, scouts, tutoringTutoringExtra one-on-one or small-group teaching outside regular class time, to help a student catch up, keep up or get ahead in a subject. See more or faith groups. They can build skills, friendships and fitness. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has also warned that a schedule packed with them can crowd out free playUnstructured playPlay a child chooses and directs, with no adult-set rules, lesson or goal, like making up a game in the yard or building whatever comes to mind. See more, family time and rest.

Try It: Add Up Your Child's After-School Week

Enter a typical school week. The numbers shown are an example; change them to match your child.

Hours left in the week14
Left per weekday2.8

That leftover time also has to hold dinner, chores, free play and getting ready for bed. No official number says how much is enough; the AAP asks families to protect free play and time together.

How Parents Say It

  • "We're at the rink four nights a week."
  • "She wants to add piano on top of soccer."
  • "He's got more on his calendar than I do."

The Breakdown

What the AAP says, by stage

StageWhat the AAP points to
Young childrenProtect free play and time with parents; a hurried, overscheduled life can squeeze them out (2007 report on play)
School ageBusy schedules of homework, lessons and planned activities can leave no time for exercise (HealthyChildren.org)
Young athletesHeavy training, several teams at once and year-round play are possible risk factors for burnoutBurnout at workExhaustion, cynicism about your job and a drop in how effective you feel, which WHO links to chronic workplace stress that hasn't been managed. See more (2024 report)
TeensLate practices compete with the 8 to 1010,000 stepsA popular daily step goal that began as the name of a 1960s Japanese pedometer; later studies find health benefits begin well below it. See more hours of sleep teens need (AAP News)

A short check before adding one more

  1. Add up the week's activity hours, including travel.
  2. Count what's left for homework, meals, free play and sleep.
  3. Ask your child which activity they'd keep if they could only keep one.
  4. Look for signs of strain: dreading practice, trouble sleeping, grades slipping, no time with friends.

When to talk to the doctor. The AAP's 2024 report on young athletes describes burnout in children who train heavily. If your child seems exhausted, keeps getting hurt, or has lost interestInterest rateThe yearly percentage a lender charges for borrowing money, not counting fees; the APR adds certain fees to show a fuller cost. See more in a sport they loved, talk to the pediatrician.

Good to Know

The AAP doesn't set a number of activities or hours that's right for every child, so use how your child sleeps, eats and feels as the guide. Leave at least some afternoons with nothing planned, since the AAP's clinical report on play makes the case for free, child-led time as part of healthy development.

FAQ

How many extracurricular activities should a child do?

No official number exists. The AAP's reports warn that overscheduling can crowd out play, family time and exercise, so weigh the whole week, including sleep, before adding more.

Can too many activities cause burnout?

The AAP's 2024 clinical report on young athletes lists training volume and overscheduling as possible risk factors for burnout, and says year-round training on several teams can take away free play.

Are extracurricular activities good for kids?

They can build skills, fitness and friendships. The AAP's concern is balance: leaving enough room for free play, rest and time with family.

Do It in Buhata

Calendar and Countdown

Put every practice and lesson on the Calendar in Buhata so the whole week is visible at once, and use Countdown for the end of each season before you sign up for the next.

Open Buhata

Related Terms and Categories

  • Unstructured play

    Play a child chooses and directs, with no adult-set rules, lesson or goal, like making up a game in the yard or building whatever comes to mind.

  • Benefits of boredom

    The idea that unstructured, unfilled time can help children build creativity, problem solving and the ability to entertain themselves.

  • After-school routine

    The same set of steps a child follows between getting home from school and dinner, usually a snack, active play, some downtime and homework.

  • Summer camp cost

    What families pay for day or overnight summer camp; in a 2022 American Camp Association survey, most day camps charged $1 to $100 a day.

Parenting and child development

Sources

American Academy of Pediatrics, "The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds," Pediatrics (2007); American Academy of Pediatrics, "Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Young Athletes," Pediatrics (2024); HealthyChildren.org (AAP), "11 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Be Physically Active"; AAP News, "Learn strategies to help teens catch some Zs"

Last updated .