Kids' activities after school are booming, but some parents ask themselves whether it's too much time and money and too structured

Research has shown the average household spends about $2000 a year on extra-curricular activities for each child, but the costs can go much higher depending on the level of activity and number of children.

Fiona Dyet of Charlestown says her children, Joel and Natalie, are involved in a range of structured activities.

Joel, 11, plays soccer, basketball and the saxophone.

Natalie, 9, does girl guides and musical theatre and plays netball and the clarinet.

"My two kids are over-involved with too many things, I think," Ms Dyet said.

She said there appeared to be "complex psychology" behind why parents organise so many activities for their kids.

"There's a sense that there's good things to learn and it's good development," she said.

"It's also recognising that it feels like you're going to miss out, unless you get your kids started early."

The NSW government's Active Kids and Creative Kids voucher programs help offset the costs of kids' activities, but they only go so far.

"We've been using those as long as they've been available," Ms Dyet said.

The $100 vouchers contribute, but don't go close to covering the cost of most activities.

"I don't think many people would commence an activity because of the vouchers," she said.

While structured activities help kids develop, research shows kids also benefit from unstructured play.

Professor Pasi Sahlberg, of UNSW Sydney, said Australia has a "highly structured childhood culture".

"Good advice is to try to give children at least one hour for free play every day," he said.

"In the post-pandemic world, this is becoming a doctor's order for raising healthy and happy kids."

Professor Sahlberg, who has advised schools and education systems around the world, is a former director general of Finland's Ministry of Education and Culture.

He was recently involved in a Gonski Institute for Education study, titled "Growing Up Digital Australia".

The study showed "most parents are challenged to get their kids off screens at home".

"The best way to do that and keep kids active is to sign them in to programmed after-school activities," he said.

"These structured activities for kids have their place and they come with various benefits."

But he added that "loosely guided play or even free play can benefit kids, too".

"Almost all the time that kids spend in school is led by adults and school days are structured, leaving the kids very little time to be in charge.

"The power of free, unstructured play is amplified by letting the children take a lead in what they play and how they play."

He said this was important for developing skills that boost creativity, problem-solving, communication, conflict resolution and resilience.

"Of course, these skills can be learned in structured activities as well.

"But unstructured settings, for example in a playground, forest, on the beach, or even at home with some friends can trigger those higher-order activities better."

Ms Dyet said the landscape had changed, given that most kids don't play in the street and neighbourhood like they used to.

"I don't think my kids do unstructured activity particularly well," she said.

As such, parents structure activities, so "the kids aren't just sitting on a screen".

"But that probably makes it worse because they have even less idea how to structure their day themselves," she said.

"It's a bit of a chicken and egg problem."

Her kids do go to OOSH [Out Of School Hours care].

"That's their best chance of unstructured play in a way. I'm sure OOSH provides structure, though," she said.

University of Newcastle Associate Professor I-Fang Lee said when children play with minimal adult intervention, it can "cultivate sustained attention span".

It can also boost their development, as they "collaborate and negotiate their 'plans of action' with each other".

Ms Dyet said boys tend to socialise through sport and playing computer games online.

"For my son, I think being part of those sporting teams is really important for him," she said.

"Learning to work with other adults and getting along with a different bunch of kids is really important as well."

Natalie plays netball with school friends, but it has expanded her connections.

"It has deepened her friendship network, extending it out from the little crew she normally plays with at school," Ms Dyet said.

"The lovely thing about the netball team is it has built relationships with families. That has happened with soccer families as well.

"I like the skill development and the kids accessing a different social world from school. And I've appreciated them learning to work with different adults."

Jacob Graham, owner of Newy Sax, teaches Joel and Natalie to play saxophone and clarinet.

He tutors dozens of children in and out of school.

As a tutor, he notices children doing a lot of activities. He wonders how families fit everything in.

Mr Graham has a three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.

"I think, how will I get them to all these activities and still get to spend time with them?

"Especially because part of my work is gigging on the weekends at weddings."

Associate Professor Lee said "time and space" were important factors when "promoting play" in teaching and learning.

"When our education system is too focused on outcome-based learning such as children's academic performance, we tend to lose sight of children's 'whole person' development.

"Our schooling practice has been compressing children's learning through tight structured schedules in classrooms and buildings."

When the system "condenses and fast-tracks children's learning", the role of play in children's lives becomes "more meaningful than ever".

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