some parents believe that children should do extra-curricular activities after school. Others say in this way children are under pressure. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Although

it is often thought that after-school

activities

are essential for

children

's holistic growth, others claim that they add too much burden to

children

having to juggle between academic and non-academic matters. In my opinion, I consider that co-curricular

activities

are vital to developing important life skill sets,

such

as collaboration, empathy, and communication, but students should be forced to do them. On one hand,

according to

some, extra-curricular

activities

, which mostly involve sports, community service, and arts, are a great platform for

children

to learn teamwork and be creative. Undoubtedly, academic subjects focus too much on individual effort.

As a result

, it is often observed that many academically strong

children

end up not as successful at work as their peers, who were active in co-curricular

activities

since they struggle to collaborate and communicate effectively with others.

Furthermore

, performing well in both academic and non-academic definitely shows that

children

have gone above and beyond their basic academic expectations.

Hence

, top universities’ selection criterion emphasizes extra-curricular involvement.

On the other hand

, people might argue that after-school

activities

take away time from academic studies. Some parents who focus on academics only think that after-school

activities

are a waste of time and energy. There is a heightened interest in mental health;

therefore

, some parents

also

prefer not to pressure their

children

as it is not healthy. There are a lot of depressed

children

in countries with demanding academic standards,

thus

, parents start prioritizing

children

’s happiness.

In addition

to that, in

this

current society, which promotes free will, many support

children

have the power to choose their own path.

Finally

, in my opinion, it is

children

's need to join extracurricular

activities

. It provides a way to learn indispensable life skills. Though I agree that free will is a basic right,

children

require proper guidance from experienced adults to navigate the real world. One way to resolve

this

is letting

children

try and choose what co-curricular

activities

that interest them. They

also

can make a lot of friends, who can be their valuable support system, through these

activities

.

Last

but not least, research has shown that non-academic

activities

could be a channel to release stress.

For example

, exercising releases dopamine which boosts mental health. In conclusion, extracurricular

activities

have a lot of benefits for

children

. Though it might add pressure, they can start learning about time management early by balancing both academic subjects and non-academic

activities

.