Are academics alone sufficient for a child’s development?

Are academics alone sufficient for a child’s development?

There is a famous saying, “All work and no play makes jack a dull boy,” hence academics alone are insufficient for a child’s development. Today is a time of competition where only education does not suffice the need and they need to be street smart for which they need to explore the society by joining various extra - curricular activities as well.

During the childhood days, the children learn to express their feeling, sharing things with friends, communication skills and many other skills as required in the later stages of life for survival in the real world. For the child to develop such skills at an early stage it is very important for the child to be exposed to a positive interaction environment. The prevailing education format in Indian schools is of one side interaction that is the teacher imparts knowledge which is just taken down in form of notes by the children. Hence there is least interaction amongst the children as well and between the teacher and the students. The amount of knowledge received by children is just limited to books which is not enough in today’s technological time.

Just having bookish knowledge does not suffice the need of today’s time. When they come into colleges, they have to learn on their own by exploring various options be it of books from the library, interaction with the seniors or through the internet. If a child lacks the confidence of interacting with other people, it may become difficult for him to learn things. Having an exposure to extra - curricular activities, they get a chance to meet new people, learn new things with other peers in the group. Apart from the interaction part and the ability to learn extra things, today is the time where specialization in any field matters a lot and can take the individual to great heights, so if the child is exposed to the fields like sports, drama, theatre, dance they can identify their interest and make the correct career choice for themselves. Summer camps is a good option towards the development of your child, it will not only help the child to be independent but also will help him meet new people.

Academics alone limit the knowledge of the child and at times in extreme cases the child starts living into the virtual world of books. School is a place where a child is in an completely protected environment and therefore limit the avenues for learning. Extra – curricular activities will not only help the child to learn new things or interact with others but will open new avenues to fulfil his desires and look for his interests. In fact, a lot of children have started joining theatre classes to not only enhance their communication skills but also to help build communication skills amongst children who find it difficult to communicate. It is a regular feature found in many of the pre – schools as well. Hence in today’s fast running world, only academics are not sufficient for a child’s development.