Activity Overload Samantha Heder SOC 1020

Table of Contents Slide 3- Reflection Page Slide 4- Professional Research Slide 6- Visual Examples Slide 8- Final Reflection Slide 9- Works Cited

Initial Reflection I have decided to do research on the amount of extra curricular activities kids participate in today versus 15 years ago. I personally have seen a huge push for parents to enroll their kids in as many activities as possible. Having a wide variety of activities outside the home on your college applications sets you apart from other students. Having many activities going on also gives the impression the family has more money than the average one as well. The push for these activities has really added to the busy level of the average family, and although it has helped in some ways, it has also created some negative affects on the children participating in them.  The number of activities a child is expected to participate in can be attributed to many things. The constant push to be the best at everything from the media, school, and society urges parents to create Olympians, geniuses, and Broadway dancers. Parents now a days, are much more inclined to support their kids in activities which can improve parent and child relationships by creating a common interest. But this push for constant scheduling can also create a wedge between the parents and children by making the children feel too much pressure from their parents. By examining the difference between the participation levels in 2 eras, I'll be able to compare the effect these activities have on the family's busy-ness level. 

Professional Research Article 1: CNN- Overscheduled Busy Children This article goes over the pros and cons of scheduling your children. It talks about the increase opportunities kids can gain from activities. It also goes over the affect this scheduling has on children, and how the anxiety level raises for both groups when there are too many activities. Link to Article : http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/08/living/overscheduled-busy-children/

Professional Research Cont.. Article 2: NY Times- The Busy Trap This article goes over the difference between busy and exhausted. It talks about the difference between those who over schedule their children and those who have a lot on their plate because of the need to support their family. It talks about how children come home just as tired as those adults now a days, and the danger it has on pushing their childhood out too quickly. Link to Article: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy-trap/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Visual Example 1 Activities & School Success Information from: Nat. Center of EDU Stats

Visual Example 2 22.42 19.91 16.32 14.94 1981 Av: Boys: Girls: Children Diagnosed with Anxiety Issues Children’s Manifest Anxiety Score= CMAS Boys: Girls: 1954 Av: 16.32 1954 Av: 14.94 1981 Av: 22.42 1981 Av: 19.91 Info from: APA

Final Reflection After doing research on the amount of extra curricular activities that kids participate in today versus 15 years ago, I have found a couple things to be a trend in society. There are pages and pages of articles about increases in anxiety and depression in kids lately. Of course there are other factors that could play into this trend, like increased acceptance of psychological intervention and availability of treatment; but a lot of this problem can be correlated to the higher expectations that parents have of children today. And the need for children to be involved in order to accomplish a level of success in comparison to society's expectations.  Those are all things that I expected to find, but there are a few things that I did not expect. One of those things is the advantages that this push for activities has on some groups. The push for these activities has created a gap in low level income kids and higher level income kids. The lower income families cannot afford these activities, and it puts their kids at a disadvantage against those who can afford the activities. But through this gap, a need as been created for programs to help kids be exposed to these activities. Programs like After School Programs and the YMCA offer easier access to activities. This has done great things for underprivileged groups, but it has not done enough. The continuing development of these programs will continue to lessen this gap. 

Works Cited Education, U. D. (1995, June). Extracurricular Participation & School Engagement . Retrieved from NCES: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs95/web/95741.asp Kreider, T. (2012, June 30). The Busy Trap. Retrieved from NY Times: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy- trap/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 Levs, J. (2013, March 10). Overscheduled Busy Children . Retrieved from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/08/living/overscheduled- busy-children/ Phelps, M.-E. (2010, July 13). Minorities and After School Programs. Retrieved from Education Week: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/beyond_schools/2010/07/_the_rep ort_titled_recruiting.html Scholten, A. (2008, March). Increasing Anxiety. Retrieved from Belief Net: http://www.beliefnet.com/healthandhealing/getcontent.aspx?cid=3 6138