Encouraging children in extracurricular work

While growing up most of us were involved in different kinds of extra-curricular activities, such as painting, dancing or singing. This would not only provide us a way to engage with our peers beyond schoolwork but also broaden our knowledge of arts and culture.
However, the mounting pressure of schoolwork to obtain higher grades in exams has taken away these sources of delight from our children. Children, nowadays, are expected to finish school, attend study sessions with private tutors, and then again study under their parents' watch. This tendency of putting too much academic pressure on children has left little room for anything else for them. Every parent must understand that children are not machines, and reading books cannot be the only pursuit in a child's life.
Afroza Sheikh,
Dania, Dhaka,
ilcbd2008@gmail.com