The Arts as an Extracurricular Activity

The arts as an extracurricular activity cannot substitute but rather complement the arts as an integral part of the curriculum. If the child shows interest in the arts, it is a good idea to enrol him or her into a related extracurricular activity. There, the child will learn more about the arts and to do arts without any pressure whatsoever. In addition, the skills and experience he or she will gain during extracurricular activities can help him or her in later education.

Unfortunately, the cuts in the budget for after-school projects have especially hit the arts. The choice extracurricular activities in many schools is not longer as rich as it used to be. Many parents are therefore looking for related activities outside their child’s school. Examples include:

• Art workshops in galleries and museums. They usually take place during the weekends and summer holidays which makes them an excellent cultural opportunity for the entire family. In addition to entertaining the kids, these workshops also enable them to get familiar with the world’s finest artworks and their creators. The kids thus also get a valuable lesson of fine arts and learn to appreciate art a lot more by looking at a original painting for instance rather than its picture in the textbook or computer. The main disadvantage of art workshops is that they are usually only a few hour events and that they typically take place only occasionally.

• Art classes/courses. For kids who enjoy art and would like to improve their artistic skills, art classes or courses are a much better idea than art workshops. They are intended to help young “artists” improve their skills according to their level of abilities and preferred subject. Their duration varies from several weeks to several months.

• Arts related summer camps. These are getting increasingly popular in the recent years because they enable children and teenagers to do something meaningful, enjoy the fresh air, gang around with same minded kids and have fun at the same time. The offer of arts related summer camps cover just about all fields of the arts and meet just about every kid’s taste for fun and entertainment. The main downside of summer camps is that they can be quite expensive, especially for parents who have two or more kids.

• Visiting museum, galleries, cultural institutions and related events. Many kids are taken to museums, galleries and cultural events by their parents. But many, especially those from low income families almost exclusively depend on their teachers when it comes to experiencing the world of arts. The teachers of course cannot be their guides to cultural institutions and events but they can help these kids by recommending them what gallery/museum to visit and what to see as well as help them find art related extracurricular activity their parents can afford.