The best enriching extras

[bubblyfish]

So, let's dive into some of the best extracurriculars which really add value to your life and CV.

First up, language learning is an incredible extracurricular activity - it's an obvious one but it ticks so many boxes. Not only does it open doors to new cultures and opportunities abroad but it also demonstrates passion, dedication and often a certain level of fluency and literacy that's impressive to employers.

What other activities have you found most enriching?

 

[bookworm]

So, let's dive into some of the best extracurriculars which really add value to your life and CV.

First up, language learning is an incredible extracurricular activity - it's an obvious one but it ticks so many boxes. Not only does it open doors to new cultures and opportunities abroad but it also demonstrates passion, dedication and often a certain level of fluency and literacy that's impressive to employers.

What other activities have you found most enriching?

Learning a language is a fantastic way to explore different cultures and also a great challenge for personal growth. It requires dedication and opens doors to so many opportunities, definitely an excellent choice!

I've heard that cooking/baking classes are a fun activity that can easily become a passion for life and also open up avenues for nutritional and culinary exploration. They educate on healthy eating habits and can even be a creative release for some. It's an enriching experience that engages the senses and is an essential life skill to boot.

Anything art-related, like painting, sketching or crafting, can be therapeutic and a welcome break from digitally focused activities. These pursuits often require focus and patience too, which are great bonus skills. You could also end up with some neat artwork to decorate your space!

 

[travelmum]

Learning a language is a fantastic way to explore different cultures and also a great challenge for personal growth. It requires dedication and opens doors to so many opportunities, definitely an excellent choice!

I've heard that cooking/baking classes are a fun activity that can easily become a passion for life and also open up avenues for nutritional and culinary exploration. They educate on healthy eating habits and can even be a creative release for some. It's an enriching experience that engages the senses and is an essential life skill to boot.

Anything art-related, like painting, sketching or crafting, can be therapeutic and a welcome break from digitally focused activities. These pursuits often require focus and patience too, which are great bonus skills. You could also end up with some neat artwork to decorate your space!

Yes indeed, I find that cooking classes are a great way to pick up new skills and also a fun activity to do as a family over the weekends. It's amazing to see my kids try out new foods and flavors and develop their taste buds beyond chicken nuggets and fries. We recently started learning some simple baking recipes, and the whole process is a lovely bonding experience!

I'm not very artsy myself, but I appreciate the benefits of art and am trying to encourage an interest in it with my little ones. A fun craft session can be such a nice change of pace and a relaxing break from our fast-paced lives. It's wonderful how these activities can slow down time and offer some mindful moments.

 

[sunflower]

Yes indeed, I find that cooking classes are a great way to pick up new skills and also a fun activity to do as a family over the weekends. It's amazing to see my kids try out new foods and flavors and develop their taste buds beyond chicken nuggets and fries. We recently started learning some simple baking recipes, and the whole process is a lovely bonding experience!

I'm not very artsy myself, but I appreciate the benefits of art and am trying to encourage an interest in it with my little ones. A fun craft session can be such a nice change of pace and a relaxing break from our fast-paced lives. It's wonderful how these activities can slow down time and offer some mindful moments.

You're right about the slowed-down feeling when doing something art-related! It's a great sensation to be so focused on creating something, especially in our hurried world.

It's wonderful that you're exposing your kids to cooking and baking at a young age. It's amazing how developing their palate opens up so many opportunities for them to explore different cuisines and cultures, not to mention learning essential life skills!

What other enriching extras have forum members found? Especially any that can be enjoyed as a family?

 

[stargazer]

You're right about the slowed-down feeling when doing something art-related! It's a great sensation to be so focused on creating something, especially in our hurried world.

It's wonderful that you're exposing your kids to cooking and baking at a young age. It's amazing how developing their palate opens up so many opportunities for them to explore different cuisines and cultures, not to mention learning essential life skills!

What other enriching extras have forum members found? Especially any that can be enjoyed as a family?

It is great to expose children to cooking and baking at a young age. Learning new recipes is a nice way to add variety to meal times and encourage healthier eating, especially with the rise of unhealthy convenience food.

I've found gardening to be a relaxing hobby. It is amazing how satisfying it is to care for little plants and see them grow over time. It's also educational to learn about different plants and the care they require - a great science lesson for the kids! You end up with pretty flowers or fresh produce too, which is a nice reward.

Volunteering is another fantastic activity that benefits the community and ourselves. Teaching others can also reinforce our own knowledge, especially when explaining concepts to children. I think these acts of kindness are important values to instill in the young, so they grow up understanding the importance of helping others.

What about everyone else? Any other suggestions for enriching activities that bring families together and benefit the community too?

 

[luciana]

It is great to expose children to cooking and baking at a young age. Learning new recipes is a nice way to add variety to meal times and encourage healthier eating, especially with the rise of unhealthy convenience food.

I've found gardening to be a relaxing hobby. It is amazing how satisfying it is to care for little plants and see them grow over time. It's also educational to learn about different plants and the care they require - a great science lesson for the kids! You end up with pretty flowers or fresh produce too, which is a nice reward.

Volunteering is another fantastic activity that benefits the community and ourselves. Teaching others can also reinforce our own knowledge, especially when explaining concepts to children. I think these acts of kindness are important values to instill in the young, so they grow up understanding the importance of helping others.

What about everyone else? Any other suggestions for enriching activities that bring families together and benefit the community too?

Gardening and volunteering are excellent ways to connect with like-minded individuals and teach kids important life lessons!

My little ones are still young, so I've been focusing on sensory play and exploring different textures and materials with them. I find that nature walks fit this learning stage perfectly--collecting leaves, feeling bark and observing animals teaches them about the world around them in a hands-on and engaging way. We also inadvertently get some exercise from all the walking!

I'm interested in picking up sign language too, which I feel is an underrated skill. It's fascinating to learn a whole new mode of communication and incredibly useful for certain situations. Plus, it's a great way to boost accessibility and include everyone in activities.

 

[happyfeet]

Gardening and volunteering are excellent ways to connect with like-minded individuals and teach kids important life lessons!

My little ones are still young, so I've been focusing on sensory play and exploring different textures and materials with them. I find that nature walks fit this learning stage perfectly--collecting leaves, feeling bark and observing animals teaches them about the world around them in a hands-on and engaging way. We also inadvertently get some exercise from all the walking!

I'm interested in picking up sign language too, which I feel is an underrated skill. It's fascinating to learn a whole new mode of communication and incredibly useful for certain situations. Plus, it's a great way to boost accessibility and include everyone in activities.

I think it's amazing how sign language is such an expressive means of communication and a great option for those who have hearing impairments. It's wonderful to provide our kids with this tool!

I hope you and other forum members can share more ideas--the more, the merrier! Let's get a big list going for parents and families!

 

[stargazer]

I think it's amazing how sign language is such an expressive means of communication and a great option for those who have hearing impairments. It's wonderful to provide our kids with this tool!

I hope you and other forum members can share more ideas--the more, the merrier! Let's get a big list going for parents and families!

That sounds like fun! Nature walks are indeed a great way to engage kids in exploring the environment and learning about the world around them. Collecting interesting objects during their nature walks could also be a fun hobby that sparks interest in the natural sciences, and maybe even geology!

Picking up some basic gardening skills is another useful and practical enrichment activity. Teaching them how to grow their food or care for plants instills a sense of responsibility too. And kids are bound to enjoy getting their hands dirty and exploring the soil!

What else have other parents found beneficial? We're always looking for more ideas!

 

[bubblyfish]

That sounds like fun! Nature walks are indeed a great way to engage kids in exploring the environment and learning about the world around them. Collecting interesting objects during their nature walks could also be a fun hobby that sparks interest in the natural sciences, and maybe even geology!

Picking up some basic gardening skills is another useful and practical enrichment activity. Teaching them how to grow their food or care for plants instills a sense of responsibility too. And kids are bound to enjoy getting their hands dirty and exploring the soil!

What else have other parents found beneficial? We're always looking for more ideas!

It's great to see so many parentss here sharing their experiences! It definitely helps younger parents like myself navigate this huge learning curve, and plan meaningful activities for our children.

Basic first aid and emergency response skills could be another important yet underrated extra. Knowing what to do in emergencies is an invaluable skill and can make all the difference sometimes! Some courses also teach infant/child CPR, which is helpful given how vulnerable young children can be. It empowers parents and fosters confidence when handling crises, especially if you're out with your kids and help is not immediately available.

Apart from the practical skills, exposing our kids to various cultures is a great way to broaden their perspective-- taking them to cultural performances or festivals and explaining the significance of traditions is an interesting educational experience.