Why Extracurricular Activities Are Becoming a Factor in Overloading Elementary Schoolchildren

This article examines the pressing issue of primary school students being overloaded with extracurricular activities. Regulatory documents and sociological research reflecting parents’ opinions on the issue of student overload are analyzed. Contradictions between the goals and practices of extracurricular activities in contemporary Russian primary schools are identified. The causes of this overload among primary school students, stemming from improper and formal organization of extracurricular activities, are revealed. Ways to overcome formalism in the implementation of extracurricular activities, thereby enabling them to become a tool for the development of children and adolescents, are discussed.