Learning in a school environment shouldn’t end with reading books; sports, vocational classes, and field trips are also important for a child’s development. Sadly, many extracurricular school activities cause parents to worry about their children’s safety, and we’ve compiled 18 that are perceived to be the most dangerous.
Tug of War
The game of tug of war is a fun test of strength, but if the rope can’t withstand the tension from both sides, parents should be understandably concerned. In some cases, the bodily injuries suffered from the rope snapping can have permanent consequences for the knees and limbs of children.
Dodgeball
With the fast-paced nature of dodgeball, it’s no surprise that parents fear bodily harm for their children—particularly when it comes to concussions and other types of head trauma. Talking about petitions against the game in schools, CBC shares that some refer to it as a legalized form of bullying.
Snowball Fights
It might seem harmless to throw a ball of snow at someone because it simply shatters on contact, right? Well, when the ball of snow freezes, it’s as hard as a stone and could easily cause head injuries! Some students even hide actual stones within the “snowball,” so parents are unsurprisingly concerned.
American Football
One school sport parents fear even more than gymnastics is football. Even though children wear helmets and other protective gear during games, there’s an average of 12 fatalities from high school and college games per year. It’s a high-impact sport plagued with dislocations, fractures, and concussions.
Unsupervised Chemistry Experiments
When it comes to science class in school, none is more dangerous than the chemistry lab, and we all know why. Mixing up the wrong chemicals, which is very likely without educated guidance, could cause exposure to toxic fumes, fire, and explosive reactions that are dangerous to children.
High Diving
Parents aren’t just scared of the heights involved in high diving. Diving into a swimming pool from 20 meters or even 10 meters can actually cause serious injuries to children’s lungs and ears. This gets even more dangerous when there isn’t an aerator in the pool or when the pool isn’t deep enough.
Ice Hockey
Hockey is Business Insider’s most dangerous high school sport, as it records an average of 25 casualties per one million participants. Considering the high-speed impacts on ice and the fights that break out with sticks flying around, you’d understand why some don’t want their children involved.
Martial Arts
Whether they choose karate, judo, or taekwondo, children love martial arts and enjoy getting the better of their opponents. Unfortunately, to the dismay of parents, this is sometimes achieved by beating other children up. This goes against the code of martial arts, but sadly, kids will be kids, so parents are understandably worried.
Trust Falls
Many teachers have adopted ‘trust falls’ in an attempt to build team spirit and teach kids how to rely on each other. The problem, however, is that the catchers may lose grip or miss the catch entirely. Some horrible kids will even do this on purpose, so parents are right to be wary.
Woodworking
Choosing a carpentry class as vocational training for children is seen as a poor idea by many parents. This isn’t just because of the inadequacy of safety gear; there are concerns about how crowded classes packed with saws, drills, and heavy machinery are only one careless incident away from disaster.
Unsupervised Fire Drills
Fire drills train kids on the best course of action during fiery incidents and shootings, and parents absolutely love the idea of them. However, they also cause panic and, when unsupervised, could lead to unnecessary stampedes, especially when there’s only one emergency exit door. They should always be supervised by an adult–simple.
Hide and Seek
Playing hide-and-seek doesn’t seem harmful until a kid decides to look for the most “unlikely” place to hide. Then, you see children get stuck in small, confined places or choose high treetops as hiding spots, which puts them at risk of falls and injuries. It’s only natural but worth watching out for.
Gymnastics
Over 75,000 gymnastics-related injuries happen in the US every year–that’s shocking! We see from an NBC story that half of the injuries in children between six and 11 years old typically involve upper-body fractures and dislocations. Parents aren’t wrong to consider it a sport too risky for their kids.
Synchronized Swimming
With synchronized swimming classes or exercises, knee sprains and shoulder-related pain are the least of the problems that parents have to worry about. Shallow pools could cause concussions, and extended stays in water could expose children to “swimmer’s ear” or even conjunctivitis! That’s why you should always wear earplugs.
Obstacle Courses
Obstacle courses help train agility, build balance, and develop motor skills in children. However, they’re only safe when adequate safety gear is provided, and frankly, that’s rare. There are too many risks associated with hard impacts, such as falls from climbing courses, cuts from wooden apparatus, and unsettling parents around America.
School Excursions to Remote Locations
The only physical visits most parents are comfortable with are vocational trips to local areas of interest. Even when well-planned, school trips to far-off remote locations can quickly turn into a nightmare. Roads can get bad, and problems with buses may spring up, isolating the kids.
Camping
Parents believe that camps pose risks to children’s physical and mental health, which are worsened by separation anxieties and the lack of supervision. On camping expeditions, children may also move across hazardous terrain and be exposed to dangerous environments without safety equipment. There are so many things that could go wrong!
Skateboarding
Last but not least, kids find skating cool and love it a lot, but parents worry about injuries to the skin, bones, and ligaments, especially when safety gear isn’t used. The University of Rochester’s Medical Center even extends these worries to other wheeled activities like bicycling, inline skating, and riding scooters. Just wear protection–it’s that easy!
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