Every parent wants to raise an independent, successful, and well-mannered child. While healthy meals, quality education, and a happy home are non-negotiable, participation in extracurriculars is just as crucial. Afterschool activities, arts, and sports act as vitamin boosters and they are mandatory for a child’s well-rounded development. Scroll down to find out how extracurricular activities help students in reaching personal and academic goals.

Importance of extracurricular activities

Here’s why all students, irrespective of their social and financial backgrounds, should get time for extracurricular avocations:

1. Improvement in academic performance

Several studies published in education journals have established the link between academic performance and extracurricular activities. Even leading medical research agencies like the National Institute of Health confirm that extracurricular activities can positively impact academics. Let’s try to understand this.

Engaging in fun activities helps children concentrate better on their studies. They feel more motivated to learn new concepts. As it requires focus and discipline to balance schoolwork and activities, they study with dedication.

Additionally, different kinds of extracurriculars have diverse benefits. For example, music education sharpens the cognitive skills of students, making them perform better in science and maths. So, contrary to the misconception that cocurricular activities are distracting, they positively impact academics.

2. Mental health benefits

Children are lively, energetic, and inquisitive. Naturally, they love to explore the thrilling world of co-curriculars, and they look forward to those periods in school.

No wonder that students engaging in ECAs rarely experience depression and anxiety. They get a safe space where they feel accepted and can express themselves freely. ECAs like physical education work as a medium for stress relief, an outlet to process negative emotions. So, a major extracurricular activities importance is that it promotes the mental well-being of children.

3. Opportunities to make friends

Making friends is not easy, especially for introverts. And post-COVID, addiction to social media and gadgets makes it more challenging for children to build connections.

But for children, it’s of utmost significance to expand their social networks. The right ECAs can create an ideal environment for kids to step out of their comfort zone. As their interpersonal skills develop, they feel confident to connect deeply with like-minded individuals.

This will also make the transition from school to college less stressful. Someone with a vibrant circle of close friends doesn’t experience social jitters when surrounded by strangers. Hence, extracurriculars can contribute to fulfilling partnerships and friendships.

4. Physical well-being

Like adults, children are bound to their desks for long hours. Boredom, obesity, and body aches are the adverse effects of sitting in one place and attending classes throughout the day. What can be a better solution to this monotonous routine than taking productive breaks to take part in co-curriculars?

Not sure how extracurricular activities help students stay fit and healthy? Extracurriculars, especially physical activities offer a range of health benefits. With regular participation, children can keep weight gain in check and have strong bones. Muscle development is also important for growing children and physical activities can ensure that.

Some great extracurriculars for promoting physical health are sports, gymnastics, dance, and karate.

5. Finding passions and interests

An extremely powerful but often overlooked benefit of co-curriculars is that they pave the way for self-discovery. After careful consideration, each child selects their favorite extracurricular activities.

As they spend a fixed amount of time perfecting a specific skill, it leads to insight and introspection. Such insights clear their vision, letting them identify their passions. They listen to their inner voice and pick activities that will enrich their life’s journey.

So, schools should introduce a wide range of extracurriculars to foster creativity and introspection.

6. Building life skills

The classroom is a suitable place to learn languages, maths, and science. However, for holistic development, a student’s mind must be stretched in various directions. Extracurriculars offer them a platform to acquire essential life skills that a classroom setting can never teach.

Children organically learn real-world skills like critical thinking, teamwork, and through participation in music, drama, club activities, and sports. Entrepreneurs and economists around the globe assert that these skills drive workplace success in the change-dominated and tech-infused global economy of today.

So, the more children immerse themselves in co-curricular endeavors, the faster their life skills will develop.

7. Admission into reputed colleges

The admissions landscape, like teaching methodologies and examination systems, is ever-evolving. As top universities get thousands of applications, their baseline requirements have changed.

While it’s important to have excellent grades, perfect scores alone won’t secure your child’s place in a famous college. Institutions want to know how students can lead intellectual discussions and add value to their campus. Is the young aspirant ambitious enough to make a difference in the world?

And how do institutions find answers to these questions? It’s their choice of extracurriculars in school that stays as proof of a child’s ambitions. This means that by partaking in riveting extracurriculars, students can make their applications stand out.

Therefore, active participation in different extracurriculars becomes a necessity for someone aspiring to get into a top-tier university.

8. Having a compelling resume

How does one get a nice job with a lucrative salary despite having no prior experience? Only good grades aren’t enough to get a college graduate land their dream job. However, being good at certain extracurricular activities like chess can increase the chances of getting placed.

It’s simple logic. When hiring managers recruit freshers, they look for multi-talented people. The only way to assess a candidate’s work ethic and talents is through their extracurricular activities. That’s because success in areas outside of academics indicates that the person has varied skills and interests.

For instance, if a child was in the debating team, it’s evident that they won’t struggle to communicate professionally. Such additional achievements highlight promising areas in interesting professional roles. So, besides excellent grades, participation in extracurricular activities looks equally attractive on resumes.

Final thoughts

So, now you know how extracurricular activities help students. From academic enrichment to personal wellbeing – the extracurricular activities advantages are many.

However, some parents feel that devoting time to things like painting and music may hurt their child’s grades. For high school students, spending hours outside the classroom can affect their studies. So, schools and parents should help students juggle time between co-curriculars and academics.