It’s proven that after-school activities help children grow into more rounded adults, but how do you choose the right one for your child? Jo Caruana chats to three industry professionals and one family to find out more.

Amid the back-to-school madness, children across Malta and Gozo are also getting ready to return to another vital aspect of their education – their extracurricular activities.

Yes, from ballet to banjo lessons and sailing to soccer, families have made their choices as to which activities suit them best, and they will spend the next year slotting them into their schedules and giving them a try. After all, the right activity could go on to give your child a cherished hobby for the rest of their life, or even transform their future career path.

So how exactly should you go about narrowing down the many activities out there to find the one that really will prove to be a great match for your child?

One mother who has already made that choice for this year is Fleur Cassar who, together with her husband Alex, opted for a variety of drama, dance and sports lessons for their daughters Elisa, nine, andEma, four.

Theirs is a busy schedule, with Elisa attending ballet, jazz and Spanish dance classes at ArtsExcel, while Ema takes ballet classes there too, drama lessons at the School of Performing Arts by Drama Troupe and swimming lessons at Kunsill Malti għall-Isport.

“As parents, we really believe in extracurriculum activities,” says Fleur, who also works as a learning support assistant. “Sometimes it means no holidays and no weekends, but we believe it helps them to be more interactive, sociable and disciplined.

“There are so many benefits: improved self-confidence, better public-speaking skills and the ability to work well with others in a group. Yes, life is more hectic, but we plan ahead and manage our time, and it’s worth it to see their smiling faces after each lesson.”

And although they are still very young, Elisa and Ema have shown their parents they have gained a lot from their plethora of activities.

“For Elisa dance is serving as a springboard for her creativity, whether that’s improvisation, choreography or composition. She has even gone on to attend a week’s course at Tring Park in the UK, as part of the Cecchetti Young Dancers Summer School 2013.

“As for Ema, we have already noticed an improvement in her self-confidence and discipline, although we know she’s still only little and more results are in the pipeline.

“With both girls we’re thrilled to watch them have fun while learning; it’s not just aboutgetting good results but about seeing theircharacters and abilities improve. Plus the joy on their faces when they perform is more than enough to encourage us to keep supporting their dreams.”

Of course, if you’re still looking at your child’s options for activities, then the choice is endless. To gain some insight, three industry professionals, each having educated countless children over the years and helped them to develop their skills through activities they love, share their point of view.

Yes, life is more hectic, but we plan ahead and manage our time, and it’s worth it to see their smiling faces after each lesson

• Edward Mercieca is the principal of Stagecoach, a performing arts school that teaches drama, dance and singing.

“I strongly believe that children nowadays are put under too much academic pressure. I have even heard horror stories of primary age students who are sent to private lessons! It is also really essential that children are given the space to interact in a non-school/non-academic environment. Allowing them to grow creatively, spend time outdoors and be physically active is essential if we want our children to grow into the multi-faceted human beings our society requires.

Theatre academy founder Edward Mercieca.

“When choosing the right activity for your child, you must talk to them to see where their interests lie, even at a young age. So, just because dad is a really keen footballer or mum wanted to see her name in lights doesn’t mean your child will follow suit. As for the right age to start them off, most activities will cater for age groups as young as four and most children will be fine with that. That said, you should never force them; there is no right age to begin.

“In many ways, a school like Stagecoach is ideal because it offers three activities in one session – acting, singing and dancing, each of which exercises different areas of the child’s brain and combines physicality with reading, interpreting, song and a major feel-good factor. Anyone can join in, irrespective of how good they are at acting, singing or dancing, and, ultimately, our aim is to inspire and enrich young people through the performing arts.”

Ema and Elisa, four and nine respectively, both enjoy a diverse extracurricular schedule.

• Simone Stilon is the principal of KidzArt Malta, an American art franchise that helps children to express themselves artistically in a non-competitive environment.

“I believe that children should be given the opportunity to try out different activities, especially at a young age. This helps them develop self-confidence. As soon as children discover something that interests them, they should be encouraged to pursue it, even for a little while.

“The pressures of school and formal education seem to have increased and, as a result, children are facing more stress and tension.Extracurricular activities allow children to express themselves freely in a more relaxed and informal manner. At KidzArt they learn different aspects of design, such as form, perspective, shading, colour and various painting techniques, as well as about the great artists.

“Children here are encouraged to reason things out and find new ways of expressing themselves in their work and, over time, they become more active and confident. It has been proven that children who attend creative activities perform better in their academic subjects at school.

“I have two children myself, and they have participated in many different extracurricular activities so far, which have each targeted aspects of their character, be it physical, emotional or intellectual. From my experience, those children who might be withdrawn generally tend to come out of their shell during lessons, while the attention seekers or lively children tend to calm down as they get totally engrossed.

“When a child discovers an activity that is appealing, and is not forced into doing it, they will do their utmost to excel, making the activity an even more enriching experience.”

Football academy founder Justin Haber. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

• Footballer Justin Haber launched the Justin Haber Football Academy last year, in conjunction with Sunderland AFC.

“It is scientifically proven that sport and extracurricular activities are essential in the process of growing up and the educational development of a child. Statistics even show that children who take part in regular sports or other extracurricular activities achieve better academic results than those who don’t.

“Like any other sport, football is a discipline. This means it isn’t just about a training session, or a 90-minute game, but so much more. If a child dreams of making a career out of football, whether as an amateur or hopefully as a professional, he or she has to be self-disciplined.

As parents we’re thrilled to watch them have fun while learning; it’s not just about getting good results but about seeing their characters and abilities improve

“In order to achieve their sporting goals and excel in their discipline, kids have to take care of their body and also be prepared for that day when they become an example to others, face the press and maybe move abroad.

“It’s for these reasons that we take a very holistic approach to training and our programme is not just about football. Among other things, we provide sports nutrition sessions and sports psychology sessions to both our students and their parents. We also conduct media ethics sessions with our players, and our coaches insist on good manners on and off the pitch.

“With football it is important to start young; some think that age six is too little but it isn’t. The basic skills children learn at that age will be the foundations of their future in the sport. Additionally, it’s important for parents to realise that sport is as important as academic private lessons and other commitments.

“To lead a healthy lifestyle and grow into a complete person, children should be involved in physical activity and experience the discipline, character-building aspects and teamwork that comes with it. This well-rounded approach will be vital to them in the future.”