Parents in Southern California have a wealth of options when it comes to finding extracurricular activities for their children. From sports and music classes to language classes and volunteer opportunities, there are plenty of ways to keep kids engaged and help them develop important skills. One of the best ways to reduce the cost of extracurricular activities is to look for school-based or non-profit programs. These programs often offer lower costs than private programs, and they provide children with a sense of stability and continuity as they adjust to their new life.
Organizations like the Boys and Girls Club and YMCA are great places to start looking for extracurricular activities. They offer a variety of sports, music, and language classes that can help children express themselves and build confidence. Sociologists have found that parents who report that their children participate in a greater variety of activities are more likely than other parents to say that their children's schedule is too tight. This is especially true for parents with college degrees, as 28% of them reported that their child or at least one of their children was a headhunter in the year before the survey, compared to 20% of parents without a degree.
When it comes to younger children, 52% of parents with teenagers at home say their children spend too much time watching television, videos, or playing video games, compared to 43% of parents whose children are all under the age of 13. University-educated parents whose children watch videos or play games most days are also more likely than parents with high school education or less to say that their young children spend too much time in front of a screen (37%). On the other hand, 90% of parents with one or more school-age children report that their child watches television, movies or videos, and 79% say they play on any electronic device on a normal day. About half of these parents worry that their children spend too much time on these activities. When it comes to extracurricular activities, four out of ten parents of children aged 5 and younger say that their children participated in sports or sports activities in the 12 months prior to the survey, and one in three parents say that their children received music, dance or art classes during that period.
Meanwhile, 62 percent of parents with a college degree say their children volunteered during that period, compared to 54 percent of parents with some type of college education and 41 percent of parents with a high school education or less. Overall, there are plenty of options for parents in Southern California who want to find extracurricular activities for their kids. From school-based programs to volunteer opportunities, there are plenty of ways to keep kids engaged and help them develop important skills.
