As the Lent Term draws to a close and with the final week of Academies ending, I’ve been reflecting on the effect of extracurricular activities on young children. What all of the various articles and information I’ve read seem to agree on is that extracurricular activities are a great enhancement to the development of a few very important skills and traits that we as parents would very much like our children to possess.
I’ve learnt that these extracurricular activities promote:
Social development - skills such as teamwork, collaboration, communication and camaraderie are
developed
Emotional development - developing relationships, building self-confidence, managing stress, learning
to trust
Physical Development - fitness, agility, strength, fine motor skills are developed through music and
art, whereas gross motor skills are developed through activities like gymnastics and dancing
Cognitive Development - thought and reasoning
It is believed that the earlier children begin, the more receptive they are to learning new techniques later on. But
most importantly for me, as a parent of young children, was to read that studies have shown that participation in
“extracurricular activities directly correlates to improved academic, psychological and behavioral function”.
With this in mind, we have put together a selection of academies for next term that will certainly help with your
child’s development. We have kept the very popular English Language Programme, Ballet, Fun & Games, Hip Hop and
Gymnastics. New for next term will be English Story Telling, Arts and Crafts and Chinese Story Telling. There will be
more information about these exciting new programmes in the Summer Term Registration Form that will be sent home with
all Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai pupils next week.
If you are interested in your child attending weekend classes, you may like to look at the Academy Programme offered at Wellington College International Shanghai. Registration for these academies will open to all. Don’t forget the popular Ladies’ Fitness run by Carlton Palmer on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 8:30-9:30am.
There will also be fitness classes offered for parents on Saturday mornings next term. Registration opens for Academies at Wellington College International Shanghai on Wednesday, 22nd March. We would advise you to register early as places fill very quickly.
To register for the Academy Programme offered at Wellington College International Shanghai click 'here'.
