I was going to send this to the local paper but I decided to post it here instead.
I was listening to some small children the other day talking about what they do after school. A surprising number of them did organised activities: football, swimming, dancing, Guides/Scouts etc. A few days later I saw adverts for summer holiday sports groups, I think it was for rugby.
It got me thinking; how many children take part in organised groups and activities and what do they get from it? I also wandered what would they do if they didn’t have them to go to. So I did a quick survey (I asked my nine year old niece).
Quite a few primary school children, it seems, like to go to organised activities, because their friends go, because it’s fun and because they get to do things they wouldn’t ordinarily get to do like going to camps.
They aren’t just being left there by parents who want an hour’s peace then? Nope, they go to these groups because they want to be there. Although I suspect that parents also quite enjoy their freedom for the small period in time when the children are elsewhere. Children seem to gain something from the experience, spending time with others the same age, maybe a little older or younger, doing communal activities. They develop confidence in themselves and learn new skills. And it’s outside the confines of school, so they don’t feel forced to be there, which makes it all so much more enjoyable.
This is interesting, especially since there seems to be a pervading image of children ‘these days’ being couch potatoes obsessed with computer games. If we are to believe certain newspapers children are either obese, electronics obsessed brats, or hooded thugs causing trouble on the streets menacing the elderly.
If that were truly the case then a relatively small town like Immingham wouldn’t be able to support not just groups of Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Cubs, Beavers and Scouts, but also junior football and rugby clubs, a swimming club, majorettes, an archery club, a boxing club, as well as the Air, Army and Sea Cadets. Not to mention the fishing pond at Homestead Park and the recently opened skate park which attract a decent number of eager patrons.
Lazy they are not, in fact many primary school age children seem to have incredibly busy lives. Let them enjoy it while they have the chance, and support your local sports clubs and youth associations.
Everything Is Better With Dragons 