6 Extracurricular Activities Your Child Should Not Miss Out On

Between school and downtime, kids have some free time where they can enjoy their hobbies or learn new skills. With the help of extracurricular activities, it’s easier than ever for pupils to engage in new and exciting activities hosted by the school or a company. Here are some of the extracurricular activities not to miss out on.

What Is an Extracurricular Activity?

Extracurricular activities are activities for school, college and university students that are outside of their curriculum or course. The activities may be held by the school or college or may be completely separate. Extracurricular activities are primarily activities that demonstrate skills or help bring value to other people. There are different areas of activities including: 

• Physical 
• Creative
• Intellectual 
• Skilful 

Popular Extracurricular Activities 

Activity Centres

Activity centres for schools are a great option for extracurricular activities. They provide kids with physical and mental stimulation which can help improve their academic performance as well as create new friendships. 

Sports Clubs

In most levels of education, there are countless sports clubs and societies that you can join. Whether that be sports teams, social clubs organised around sports, or subject-based groups. Sports are known to bring people together all over the world to compete or enjoy and are therefore a great way to meet like-minded people doing something you love. 

There are so many benefits for pupils to participate in sports, whether that be football, basketball, netball, cricket, badminton or tennis. It encourages kids’ passions and nurtures talents so they can achieve their dreams and promote a healthy lifestyle. 

Volunteering

Students who volunteer have an advantage when it comes to applying for university. Universities look for applications with volunteering as it shows you are a committed and dedicated person with highly developed soft skills. 

Not only is volunteering good for your education, but it also improves your mental health by doing something good for the community, helps you practice the enriching act of helping others, expands your community and network, gains real-world career experience and much more.   

Performing Arts

By choosing to take part in performing arts as an extracurricular activity, kids and teens can build their confidence and self-esteem, improve focus and concentration, develop their communication skills, and work as a team. It helps many pupils to focus their mind, body and voice as they grow as a performer. 

Performing arts also lets students develop at their own pace. They can grow into their roles and slowly become more confident in a safe and fun environment whilst making friends. 

Music

Learning an instrument is a great extracurricular activity for school and university students. Researchers from Zurich University have found that playing an instrument can actually make you smarter and can even change the shape and the power of your brain. 

Their research finds that those who play musical instruments from a young age, such as Mozart, have stronger connections than those who pick up an instrument later in life. 

Taking up music as an extracurricular activity also helps pupils and students to relieve stress, improve social lives, build confidence, and improve patience. 

STEM

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and maths and involves encouraging curiosity and exploration of modern technology in kids and teens. It may include bridge building challenges, coding, robotics, and much more. They’re great for kids and teens who like to play on computers or tablets or are curious about the workings of technology. 

Some schools provide STEM extracurricular activities but there are also companies that allow parents to sign their kids up for fun virtual classes that focus on science and technology. 

Why Extra-Curricular Activities Are Important

Specific extracurricular activities can help children and teenagers build skills in different developmental areas which can help them get further in their education and can even help them get jobs in the future. Research shows that extracurricular activities can:

• Build teamworking and problem-solving skills
• Develop a strong work ethic
• Boosts confidence
• Develops leadership qualities
• Improves social skills
• Improves time management
• Impress universities
• Improves academic performance

How to Choose An Extra Curricular Activity 

Pupils may gravitate towards certain activities naturally, but for younger kids, they may need help navigating their choices to find the right activity for them. Different age groups usually have different options available, so it’s worth finding out from the school what options are available. 

You can also look for activities in the local community in local newspapers, bulletin boards and on social media. It’s important to remember that school, college and university students shouldn’t have a jam-packed schedule as rest time and downtime are just as important.  

Until next time.