Photo by Horatio Glover ’26: Derby High School’s upcoming events, representing how many activities students may be involved in.
By Horatio Glover ’26
’There is a fine line between too many extracurricular activities and no extracurricular activities,’’ said Matthew Nicolari. Matthew Nicolari is Derby High School’s heath teacher. The Red Raider Press interviewed him on his view on whether or not parents should limit their children’s activities. The point that Nicolari states is a strong reason why parents should limit their kids’ extra curriculars like sports, band, and clubs. After-school activities or extracurricular activities can be good for a child. Those activities can help the child build and learn social skills and exercise. However, too many activities can be overwhelming for the child and put a lot of stress on them.
Here is a peek into the Raider Press’s conversation with Nicolari:
Horatio Glover: Have you seen any experiences with children getting overwhelmed by extracurriculars?
Matthew Nicolari: A lot of the experiences I have seen with kids doing youth sports is either they do way too much or way too little.
Nicolari’s view on the situation is that kids should do extracurricular activities but not too many and not too little. No extracurricular activities is bad for the child since they need to exercise and also it helps build friendships and is overall good for their development. Doing too much, however, can lead to stress and anxiety which then can affect school work, grades, and this can affect the way they operate in school too.
HG: What are the advantages and disadvantages of extracurricular activities?
MN: Benefits… socially you get to met new people, interact in different ways depending on what the activities are, but negatives… like we said, [it] can be overwhelming, it can be scary sometimes, especially if they’re a part of band and have to preform, that might build some anxiety.
According to the Child Mind Institution, ‘’If kids spread themselves too thin, they might not be able to improve their skills much in any specific activity, which can be hard on their confidence. Without enough free time to do whatever they want, kids can get stressed and anxious.’’ Also, Jerry Bubrick, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute says, “Can you still do your homework? Can you still get 8+ hours of sleep each night? Can you still be a part of your family? Can you still hang out with your friends? If the answer is ‘no’ to one or more of these, then it’s too much.”
What both of theses quotes show is how too many activities for the child can be dangerous. While many parents think they have to get their child in a sport or activity every season to get them exercise, or even for some free time to themselves, it can hurt the child. With all those activities and responsibility, it can start to affect their personal life and school work. If that happens, it could be very bad for them and dig a deeper hole that would be harder for them to get out of.
The Raider Press 