Assessing the Influence of Extracurricular Activities on Pre-Primary Children’s Physical Development: A Case of Meru District Council, Tanzania

Flora N. Nyaisa – The Open University of Tanzania -Tabora Regional Center
Sophia J. Laiser – Tumaini University Makumira
laisersophia@gmail.com/ nyaisaflora6@gmail.com

Abstract: The study assessed the influence of extracurricular activities on pre-primary children’s physical development. It intended to identify kinds of extracurricular activities and examine their benefits to children’s physical development. The study employed a mixed research approach with a descriptive design and a sample of 65 respondents. The study employed the Child’s Development Theory. The study collected data through semi-structured interviews with heads of schools and closed-ended questionnaires with sports teachers and pre-primary teachers. The researcher ran IBM SPSS statistics version 27.1 to compute the collected data. The researcher analyzed data through content analysis and descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that sports are among the famous and everyday extracurricular activities widely used in pre-primary schools. Also, the findings revealed that the benefits of extracurricular activities depend on the length of practice. These benefits include more muscular muscle development, healthy growth of bones, improved coordination balance, and greater ability for physical relaxation. The study recommends that school administrators employ more physical activities to enhance preschool learners’ physical development.