In this article, we will give you 15+ excuses to skip CCA, talk about the importance of going to Co-Curricular Activities and whether there are disadvantages of engaging in CCA.
Excuses to skip CCA
Below I have compiled a list of the most clever excuses to skip CCA:
- You have a fever;
- You got the flu;
- A family member went through surgery;
- You have a stomach bug;
- You have a sprained ankle;
- Dealing with a personal issue;
- You forgot about the CCA meeting and you have an urgent appointment elsewhere;
- Vehicle or transportation issues;
- You are feeling sick and it is best to go home and lay down;
- You have a doctor’s appointment;
- You have to prepare for an important exam;
- There was a family emergency;
- You have to take your pet to the vet;
Excuses to skip CCA to tell your parents
- A contagious disease goes around in the school;
- The teacher is sick or had a family emergency;
- There are no CCA today;
- You got a bad grade and you have to stay home and study better;
- You are feeling exhausted since last time and need more time to rest;
- You are stressed, anxious, burned out.
Remember that CCA is optional, so if you want to go or don’t go at all, won’t result in expulsion or and disciplinary action. However, lack of commitment in CCAs that require consistent training will likely result in the committee kicking you out as the training is essential when it comes to developing skills/proficiency in what the CCA deals with.
Co-Curricular Activities, yes or no?
On many occasions, it is the parents’ workday that determines the time children spend in Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) since they need to keep their children busy after school until they finish work and can take care of them. But is CCA relevant for children, yes or no?
Pros: CCA is educational and enriching activities for the development of the little ones, as long as they leave time for rest and play.
Cons: sometimes the desire of the parents is more important than that of the child himself to carry out this or that activity as well as the excess demand in a performance that can stress him.
Up to 6 years of age, the main need for children is to play freely every day for a minimum of two hours, so going to the park would be the best extracurricular activity. If this is not possible, they should carry out activities that do not require rules and it is advisable to draw, paint or start sports.
From the age of six, it is important that children give their opinion on the activities they would like to practice and, although parents can guide based on the age, tastes, character and abilities of the child, they should never choose or impose an activity. This way they will be motivated and have fun.
On the contrary, if the activity becomes an obligation it can be counterproductive and cause stress in the child. If you have doubts about which activity to choose, you can suggest that he attend a test class to see which one he really likes. Once the schedule of activities has been established, it is recommended that the child commit to respect it and understand that she cannot skip classes on a whim.
In this way, we teach you to finish what you start. It is also important for parents to monitor activities to see how they are evolving. In this way, you can detect if children feel stressed, unmotivated or tired, or if these activities are affecting their school performance.
Co-Curricular Activities have to be adapted to the tastes and characteristics of the pupil, so if your child has problems relating to relationships, encourage him to practice group activities (basketball, soccer or volleyball).
If he is nervous, an activity that forces him to control himself (martial arts, swimming, chess) will come in handy and if he prefers more solitary activities you can encourage him to play a musical instrument or to practice skating or painting.
In the event that you notice that your child does not sleep well, is tired, has headaches, is so excited that he is not able to sit for a while, has a lack of appetite or makes excuses for not attending the activity, you should ask yourself if your child has an excess of CCA.
In this case, do not insist that he continue with the activity and adjust the frequency of the classes to what is most convenient for the child, taking into account that your child also needs time to rest and, above all, to play.
Finally, highlight that the child who is not enrolled in extracurricular activities is not wasting time or the opportunity to prepare for the future. Children have the right to decide how they will spend their free time.
The cons of excessive CCA
Sometimes we meet children who, from the age of 6-7, have an agenda as busy as an adult’s or maybe even busier! And this is because, in addition to the school curriculum, he participates in “n” extracurricular activities.
Even if parents’ intentions are good (to help their children develop, to offer them a healthy alternative to playing on the phone or tablet, to prepare them for the future, etc.), the multitude of extracurricular activities can be harmful!
Participating in too many extracurricular activities can bring with it several disadvantages. The first that can be easily noticed is that of overloading the child’s schedule.
When involved in a lot of extracurricular activities, it can become tiring and, over time, even exhausting. In addition, the child has no time left for free, unstructured play, which stimulates his imagination, creativity and from which he has a lot to learn. Emotions such as sadness, irritation, or even anger may also occur.
Excessive encouragement of the competitive spirit, high pressure on the child, stimulation of perfectionism can become too much a burden for the child and can lead in some cases even to depression.
Engaging in CCA: Am I a workaholic or rebellious?
This involvement in a multitude of extracurricular activities can also make its mark on future adult life. Thus, if one is valued especially in terms of participating in these activities, one can internalize a message like “If I do not participate in many activities, if I do not work hard, I am not valuable!” and there is a risk of becoming a workaholic in adulthood!
One will be frantically involved in professional life, leaving aside the personal, family and social plan.
Another shortcoming would be that if the child participates in so many extra activities because the parents want to and, in fact, this is a pressure, a burden for him, then at some point he may become a rebel, go to the other extreme and refuse any extra activity or even stop studying for school…
Parents’ aspirations and expectations when it comes to CCA
Sometimes the parent’s desire to involve the child in many extracurricular activities has unmet needs or desires behind him: perhaps when he was a child he would have wanted to participate in such activities, but failed for various reasons (parents did not have financial possibilities, no such courses were organized in their city, etc.) or maybe at present the whole universe of the parent revolves around the child and is valued by his successes.
We meet parents whose children go to many activities and who say “The child is the one who wants this!”. And, yes, it can happen that the child really says that he wants to go to “n” classes. But is it his real desire or has he noticed that only in this way does he get the attention and appreciation of his parents?
Sometimes, it can happen that parents choose a multitude of activities for their children because this is the trend, because other friends do the same and, in addition, they post details on social networks.
This contagion has negative effects, because the parents ignore the child’s needs, focusing on other aspects, on “facade” elements.
Any of these reasons would be the basis for choosing many courses, activities, it is good to take a break and think about how important they are compared to the emotional connection we have, parents, with our children, compared to the quality time we spend with them. And let’s find those ways to connect emotionally with them.
A healthy dose of Co-Curricular Activities
Co-Curricular Activities can have a significant positive influence on the harmonious development of a person.
They can contribute to physical development – if we talk about sports activities, they can highlight a certain talent or they can contribute to the improvement of communication skills, to the exercise of skills such as patience, tolerance, etc.
However, in order to be beneficial, it is important for parents to take care that these activities are appropriate to the child’s level of development, to meet the needs and desires of the child and to bring him joy.
It is essential to have a balance in terms of the time and energy that the child allocates to these activities and the time and energy allocated to less structured activities: playing in the family, going out in the park, meeting friends.
Final thoughts
Like we mentioned above, skipping CCA will not result in expulsion or and disciplinary action. However, lack of commitment in CCAs that require consistent training will likely result in the committee kicking you out as the training is essential when it comes to developing skills/proficiency in what the CCA deals with.
Skipping a class from time to time will not mean the end of the world, but keep in mind that with each missed class you will have to work twice as much next time.
If you have any questions or comments on the content, please let us know!
References
Collegeinfogeek.com
Helpfulprofessor.com
