Let me admit that I am not a parent and this question is about my sister.
My sister is 8 years old. With the start of summer vacations, she has nothing to do all day. She has no peers to play with, and her last resort is to spend hours on her mobile.
My parents are both really busy and everytime time I try to bring this to their attention, they just ignore it, saying that she should "study instead of wasting her time". But how long can she study? Surely an 8 year old cannot for 12 hrs. I tried to suggest having her sign-up for piano classes, swimming or ballet (she's particularly interested in this), but my parents think its going to distract her from studies. However, from my observation, not doing anything is doing her more harm; its dumbing her down.
So is it true that kids should not dabble in extracurricular activities as it would decrease their interest in studies? Does it affect my sister's development, both physical and mental, not to partake in such activities, or is insignificant?