We received complimentary lessons to help facilitate this post. All opinions are mine alone.

Parenthood is exhausting, especially with multiple kids and all of their additional events. We already have so much going on each day, so fitting in their dance, karate, music lessons or whatever else can seem daunting. Sometimes, we may even wonder why the heck we’re allowing anything more, when even school and homework can be overwhelming! While I’m a firm believer that children shouldn’t be OVERLY scheduled, here’s some reasons Why Extracurricular Activities are Good for Kids.

Now, in our house we limit each of our kids to just one extracurricular activity at a time (with a few very rare exceptions). Three of my kiddos have been taking latin ballroom classes for a few years now, and two of my boys just started doing music lessons at School of Rock for the summer semester – and that’s been a huge blessing! When those two had nothing to do, they felt left out – they didn’t know WHAT they wanted, but knew they were missing out on something. Once they started learning their drum/guitar skills, though, they’ve really blossomed and their daily attitude is much happier and more positive. It truly shows that extracurricular activities are good for kids!

Helps Build Their Passion

Many adults nowadays don’t even know what they’re passionate about – they just focus on getting a good-paying job. Not that that’s BAD, necessarily, but even outside of work they don’t know what they really enjoy. By letting kids try different things as they’re growing up, they can learn what they’re really excited about, what makes them eager to put in the practice/work for. This can help them decide not only what to do later in life, but also leave the option for an ‘extra hobby’ as an adult, too.

Future Benefits

Along with that, they can build up their skills in whatever their hobby is – such as my boys’ guitar or drums – and use that to provide a living for their family when they’re older. Their instructors at School of Rock really enjoy their ‘work’ teaching kids music, and I can almost guarantee they grew up building their knowledge and experience so that they COULD do that. Not only do they get to share what they love, but get to earn a living spreading those skills. Likewise, one of my girls has a dream of being a dance instructor on the side when she’s an adult, and is working hard to make sure she has the skills and experience necessary for that. Think long-term!

Teaches Them Responsibility

We all know that school homework can be a struggle – big time! But when your kids have something fun to do, especially something that they CHOSE to do, it can be a whole different story. I fight with some of my kids about school daily, but never have to nag about practicing – they just do it every morning like clockwork! With my two boys doing instruments, since they have only been working on this for a little over a month, they’re still learning HOW to practice more productively – such as dividing their practice time between their different songs for band, or knowing to spend more time on a certain skill their struggling with. If they don’t practice, they learn to be accountable for that with their class or fellow band members.

Also check out the Benefits of Music Lessons for Kids!

Gives Them an Outlet

One of my boys has SPD (sensory processing disorder), so he’s always bouncing and needing movement. Some days it’s hard to make sure he gets enough of that stimulation he needs, but once he started playing the drums – getting to bob his head to the beat, hit the drums with sticks and the foot kicker, and move back and forth between the different drum/cymbal pieces, you could really tell a difference. It’s been great not only for that motion he needs, but also all that extra energy that kids can get! When my other son is driving me bonkers because he has too much built-up energy in the house, I suggest he goes and does a few dance rounds – works like a charm!

Healthy Social Environments

My kids have been both public schooled and now homeschooled, and in both situations I can honestly say that I’m super grateful for the friends they have during their outside activities! Friends at school (or in homeschool groups, or whatever) are great, but they don’t seem to be quite as close. I think part of that is within the class or band, they share that same passion and are working on it together, already giving them something to connect with. I’m not saying our kids are friends with EVERYONE in their activities, but their best friends have certainly come from their extracurricular activities. They learn to get along better, work together and to help each other progress in their skills, which is such a blessing for kids.

How else are extracurricular activities good for kids?

School of Rock provides us complimentary lessons so we can fully review this program. All opinions are mine alone.

I grew up taking piano lessons, and for a long time I was so frustrated that my mom wouldn’t let me quit. Now that I’m a parent, I look back and realize all that I gained from that – not just learning more piano, but also real life skills. Now that two of my boys are taking lessons for guitar and drums, I enjoy watching their growth and excitement each week. Many parents don’t realize how valuable taking lessons can be for their children – so today I’m sharing 5 Benefits of Music Lessons for Kids!

When I say music lessons, I’m not talking necessarily just guitar and drums (that’s just what my kids are doing right now) – I mean any instrument, vocal lessons, or even just learning how to read or write music! They all have these same benefits, just with varying methods. Here’s some of the benefits of music for kids – and just some of the reasons I’m thrilled my boys are taking lessons at School of Rock!

Learning Hard Work to Reach Their Goals

In real life, things don’t come easy to most of us. If we have goals we want, we need to make hard work towards them, sticking to it even when it gets hard or frustrating. It’s best for kids to learn this when they’re younger, so it’s not a ‘rude awakening’. By working towards mastering a certain song on their instrument, or having a goal to play drums at a certain tempo with no mistakes, they’re learning this process at a younger age so that when it’s the ‘big things’, they’re ready.

Time Management Skills

Just like with any skill, it takes practice – which means making time regularly to work on the music, practice their instrument, and really build up those skills. Just like when they’re adults needing to manage their time with tasks at work, they’re learning to do so not only with something they’re passionate about, but also how to overcome those slump days when they just don’t feel like making it a priority – but doing it anyway!

Improving Their Music Skills

Who knows if my boys will grow up to be in a world-famous band, write record-breaking tracks or just simply enjoy breaking out their guitar or drums for some fun time with friends. Perhaps they’ll teach lessons to others when they’re grown, passing on the skills they acquired from their own amazing instructors at School or Rock. Whatever they choose to do with these specific talents and knowledge of music and their instruments, they’ll have plenty options and enjoyment!

Building Friendships/Relationships

Not only do they build respectful relationships in their teacher-student situations, but with their group band lessons they’re making friends, learning to work and grow together, and acquiring great teamwork skills. They get to see the results when everyone puts in the hard work, and how all the parts fit together for a rockin’ good time!

Improve Memory & Cognitive Skills

I loved this article that School of Rock shared about how important it can be for children. Not only does learning the music, the parts and workings of their instrument, and the parts to various songs help their memory skills, but it makes strong connections in different parts of their brain. This development can keep their mind sharper for longer, and make it easier to learn other information or skills because their brains already have experience building those networks.

BONUS: Build Confidence

Confidence is something that’s of high importance to many parents, since it can be the foundation for a happy, healthy life for their kids. It’s one of my favorite benefits of music lessons! With all of the hard work, managing their time, working together, sticking with it even when they want to quit – then seeing the amazing results at the end, they can help strengthen their confidence because THEY did that. They put in the work. They progressed in their skills. They took the steps to go further and further, and now can look back to see how far they’ve come since the start – and how far they can go if they continue.

I love seeing the growth my boys have had already, both with the music AND the life skills. I can’t wait to see how much more will happen as they continue their music lessons with school of rock, and where these important life skills will take them in their lives!