Kids’ extracurricular activities in France compared to the United States

Just like in the US there are many extracurricular activities for children in France. Since we have been here in Virginia my children have started or resumed almost the same activities as in France, in other words a musical activity and a sports activity for everyone. Yet there are many differences between extracurricular activities in France and the United States:

• Cost

The first noticeable difference is the cost of activities. Unsurprisingly, extracurricular activities are much more expensive in the United States than in France. Prices are 2 to 10 times higher in the US than in France! This difference comes first of all from the fact that in France most activities are public and still high quality. In France my kids used to play music at the Conservatory which costs about 200 euros a year for each child whereas the cost of music lessons here in Virginia is more than 10 times higher. And this is not to mention that in France we could rent music instruments for a very low price through Conservatory affiliated stores while we have to buy them here in the US. Even sports practices’ price is half lower in France than here in the US.

• Frequency

The weekly frequency of extracurricular activities in the US is a real concern for me. Indeed, the practice of activities in the US is very time-consuming: every musical or sports activity requires at least 2 days of practice per week (and for example in the case of track and field practiced by my eldest son it was 5 days a week!) In France the Conservatory asked us several weekly participations but the sports activities were limited to one participation a week (or sometimes 2 when there were games). That way kids can practice different activities as hobbies unless they plan to become professional in an artistic or sportive field. I was quite surprised when during the first meeting for track and field the coach made it clear that in high school kids would have to make a choice and that they couldn’t have it all.

• Physicals and medical discharge

In France the possibility of sports injuries isn’t taken as seriously as in the US. You may be required to produce a medical certificate but in that case usually the family doctor just writes down a note. We don’t sign a discharge to recognize that in case of an injury we will not hold anybody responsible for the problem. And there is no emphasize on concussions. During the meeting for track and field we were asked to watch a short film about possible concussions and the fact that parents are the only ones to decide what’s best for their kids, should a trauma happen (see also my previous article about this subject) and we signed a specific release. There is no such thing in France. Note that if we followed the recommendations of the film, it was better not to let our children to practice a sport! (but obviously it is a matter of “liability” which is also something quite unusual in France …)

• Calendar

In France children practice an activity during eight months, from September to June (minus holidays). In the United States there is a fall season and a spring season for extracurricular sports activities. This was quite unusual for us and the duration of the two seasons (basically from September to November and then from March to May) was way shorter than in France.

• Competitions

Generally speaking I think the competition is very (way too) present in the United States. This is true at school as well as in sports activities. There are games and competitions every week. In France practices are more important than games. Games can easily be skipped, which is quite the contrary of the US. For example, my youngest son played soccer during spring and because of the rainy weather some games were cancelled in March (because the grounds were soaked). But then during the next weeks 2 games were scheduled every Saturday. When I asked another Mom whose child is in the same team why games were not just removed, she said “I guess some parents feel that as they have paid they want their child to make his games “. This was quite surprising for me! Likewise my eldest son had two to three track and field competitions each week, and most of the time in other towns and cities. So each time they left after school by bus and they were back to the school at 9pm or 10pm, when we had to pick them up. It seemed a lot to me as they had to go to school the day after!

• Parents’ involvement

In France parents are less involved in their kids’ activities than in the US (just as they are in school activities). For example in France two of my sons practiced soccer and we used to drop them at the beginning of the session and pick them up at the end of the session. Here in the US this is very unusual and I think that if it becomes a habit the coach and other parents would frown upon. What surprises me is not only parents are there each time but they also participate a lot, they praise and encourage! That’s why it’s so easy to get to know other parents: when you invest so much in your children’s activities it creates bonds.