Children's activities: How much should parents spend?

Synopsis As parents spend more on soft skills, the challenge is to identify pursuits that offer lasting value. While the growing emphasis on extra curricular activities is a welcome departure from the traditional overemphasis on academics, enrolling children in multiple programmes because of peer pressure or FOMO (fear of missing out) can strain both family finances and children’s mental well being. Listen to this article in summarized format Listen Mumbai-based Aariyana Dasgupta may be only 12, but she has already explored a range of creative pursuits, including drama, piano, public speak ing, Bharatanatyam and guitar. Her mother, Parijat, believes these activities will equip her with valuable skills for the future. “My 16-year-old son also attended drama, communication and piano classes, and was often chosen to compere school events. These activities help children build confidence, become more articulate and express themselves before an audience,” she says. It’s not only affluent families that are taking this path, says Eela Dubey, Co-founder of Edufund, a higher education planning firm. “Even middle-class parents are keen on their children acquiring a range of skills, from drama and public speaking to foreign languages and the arts. This is especially true of students in international schools, where such programmes, often offered on campus for an additional fee, are integral to the culture,” she says. Parents typically enrol children in these programmes between the ages of seven and 13, allowing them to develop their skills before academic pressures mount in grades eight, nine and ten. The monetary impact Such pursuits often come with a hefty price tag. Parents, therefore, need to budget carefully, prioritise activities and decide how many programmes they can reasonably afford. Dasgupta spends nearly Rs.2 lakh annually on her daughter’s pursuits. “For my son, the yearly outgo was around Rs.1.45 lakh,” she adds. This is in addition to one-time equipment expenses. “The cost of a keyboard that we bought was over Rs.60,000,” she says. A professional piano set-up can cost upwards of Rs.1.5 lakh. You also need to factor in the cost of travelling to multiple classes. You Might Also Like: Big age gap between children? Here’s what it means for your retirement, education planning, and family finances Shivani Kudwa, content creator and parenting coach, Diapers to Wings, spends over Rs.75,000 annually towards her children’s non-academic activities, including painting and intelligence quotient classes. “I want my children to develop at least one non-academic skill that will stay with them throughout their lives. The objective is to expose them to myriad experiences until they turn 12, so that they can discover their interests and develop dif ferent skills,” she says. For many parents, these pursuits help their children stand out and strengthen their applications to foreign universities. “Extracurricular activities help build a holistic profile, which is particularly useful for students applying to the United States (US) universities. In other popular destinations like the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia, however, these activities often carry far less weight than academic achievements,” says independent education consultant Piyush Kumar, former regional director at study-abroad consultancy IDP Education. Financial do’s and don’ts for parents Beyond the classroom In an intensely competitive world, many believe that excelling in academics alone might not be enough. “Activities like drama, music and public speaking nurture confidence, creativity, communication skills and emotional resilience, while providing healthy coping mechanisms. Although they may strengthen univer sity applications, their real value lies in preparing children for life,” says Raell Padamsee, Creative Director, ACE – The Academy for Creative Expression. Charu Jain, Principal, Orchids The International School, Chennai, says that such extracurricular activities help children, particularly those who are hyperactive, channelise their energy and become disciplined. The growing focus on all-round devel opment is encouraging parents to look beyond conventional academic pursuits. “We are increasingly seeing parents rec ognise the importance of a well-rounded education, where exposure to the perform ing arts is valued alongside academics. Parents take pride in supporting their children’s creative pursuits and holistic devel opment,” says Tanuja Gomes, Co-founder and Co-CEO, Furtados School of Music. Fees vary by city, instructor, institution and type of programme. Some schools charge separately for extracurricular activities, while others include them in the regular curriculum. ACE, for instance, charges around Rs.750 per hour for drama and public speaking classes. At Furtados School of Music, speech and drama classes cost Rs.600 per ses sion for children aged 8-15, while Western vocals, piano, keyboard, drums and guitar lessons cost Rs.800 per session. Enrolment typically starts with a package of 24 weekly sessions. If a child enrols in three pro grammes, such as public speaking, piano and guitar, throughout the year (say, 48 weeks), parents could end up spending around Rs.1 lakh annually. Another expense head for parents is foreign language, even for young kids, par ticularly those aspiring to study overseas. According to Kruttika Bhosale, Assistant Professor, German, K.J. Somaiya School of Languages and Literature, Somaiya Vidyavihar University, learning another language gives young students a sense of achievement and independence as they begin communicating in it. “A foreign language adds value to a student’s résumé, demonstrating one’s curiosity and a will ingness to explore interests beyond the prescribed curriculum. For those who wish to study abroad, the knowledge of a foreign language reflects cultural awareness and adaptability,” she adds. Costs vary by language and proficiency level. For instance, the Goethe-Institut Max Mueller Bhavan, Delhi, charges Rs.21,500-28,500 per level for young learn ers, according to its website. At Alliance Française, French courses for children and teenagers cost around Rs.11,000-13,850 per level. Spend wisely, not excessively Parents may feel reassured that their children are spending their time productively rather than whiling it away. However, depending on how many programmes they take up, the cumulative cost can be daunting. While the growing emphasis on extra curricular activities is a welcome departure from the traditional overemphasis on academics, enrolling children in multiple programmes because of peer pressure or FOMO (fear of missing out) can strain both family finances and children’s mental well being. “There is a difference between en couraging a child to explore something new and insisting that they pursue it because it looks good on an application or builds a particular skill. Parents should expose children to different experiences, but they must also give them permission to discover what they genuinely enjoy,” says Dr Roma Kumar, Co-chairperson (psychology), Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioural Sciences, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. “Spending more does not necessarily translate into better outcomes. Parents should prioritise activities based on the child’s aptitude, interests and developmen tal needs rather than social expectations,” advises Pankaj Mathpal, Founder, Optima Money Managers. Financial planners acknowledge the value of these activities but caution against burdening children. “Parents realise that for their kids to be ready for the job mar ket, they need to imbibe multidisciplinary skills, apart from academics, hence the rush for many classes at early ages of 5-6 years is fine. But as a financial coach, I advise my clients to earmark a budget for such extra curricular activities,” says Rachna Monga Koppikar, Founder, GrowYourNest.com, an Amfi-registered mutual fund distributor. Mathpal recommends treati