Are extracurricular activities similar? Many of us hope not, because doing this stuff is hard. Should kids do a summer space camp that costs thousands of dollars and only takes care of one of 9 out-of-school weeks? Or should kids… relax and hang out with friends? We all want to know!
Well, we kind of want to know. And a LOT of parenting gurus are happy to tell us that. As I look at evidence, I start with a guess that these activities probably can benefit kids. Consider the Montreal Longitudinal and Experimental Study, which sought to help elementary school kids improve social skills and self-control. The program selected kids who, according to their teachers, were struggling with these skills, and placed them in small groups with other kids excelling in these areas and a professional group facilitator.
The program involved 19 minute sessions spanning two years. For each situation, the children reviewed ways to define the problem, identified the intentions of the other person…, analyzed their feelings if they were in the role of the victim, suggested different action plans to solve the problem, anticipated their consequences, selected one action plan and, finally, gave positive reinforcement to themselves for their work.
The facilitator then modeled a situation: he has been playing tag, and he just got tagged and is now out. Together, the group makes observations about what the actors are doing, how they are following the steps, and gives feedback. This program reminds me of playing sports with great coaches who prioritize child development and team social dynamics over pure winning.
A team of economists recently measured the long-term impacts of this program. Twenty percent. Over a full career that could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars for each kid. This one little program. As always, income is not the main goal.
