We have found questions like “How important are extracurricular activities?” and “Do they really benefit my child?” “It is not part of their academic requirements. Will it benefit their career?” and “Will it add value to my child’s knowledge?” Frequently pops into parents’ minds. It is believed that even top-performing students may not be able to meet their full potential without the opportunity to broaden and diversify their interests and skills with the help of extracurricular activities. In many ways, the benefits of extracurricular activities for students are primarily in shaping the personalities of children along with lighting up their fun moments.

Although essential, good grades are not the only aspect that helps in your child’s future career. Having a successful career needs more than just bookish knowledge; these extra qualities can be obtained by engaging in activities outside the classroom. Let’s dive into what extracurriculars are and how children can benefit from them.

Importance of Extracurricular Activities in School

• Extracurricular activities help children to develop their social skills and learn how to work in a team to achieve a shared goal. 
• These activities allow your child the opportunity to explore different areas of interest, increase self-confidence, build leadership skills and even improve grades — all while having fun!
• Extracurricular activities in school teach life lessons that are often not taught at school or home such as how to accept failure even when one thinks one deserves to win.
• Extracurricular activities in school provide opportunities for kids that can’t be replicated anywhere else–learning about teamwork, developing strong communications skills (or introversion), experiencing what it’s like being on stage with an audience watching you. 
• Time management skills are one big life lesson extracurricular activities have to teach!
• Extracurricular activities in school also teach your children how to work collaboratively without bullying others. This is an important skill these days where it’s often tough just being in school because of the competitiveness!
• In today’s world, there are more distractions than ever! And often parents want to give their kids space from screen time but don’t know where else to turn. Extra-curricular activities are one such opportunity to provide a space for learning and growth that can’t be replicated anywhere else. 
• Studying for prolonged hours will of course irritate the child and the study won’t be beneficial either. Extracurricular activities in school can be a part of a break between studying hours. extra-curricular activities can be like extra study hours and an opportunity for children to learn new things. 
• Extra-curricular Activities are a fantastic way for children to continue learning outside the classroom, but they also provide a chance for them to other people that might not be in their everyday life at school or home. It’s important for us as parents (or teachers) not just because it provides another outlet, but because we want our kids to grow up with diverse relationships so they don’t feel isolated from others.

Extracurricular Activities in school should be Based on Your Interests

Some kids are naturally talented in a specific area which can lead to them taking part in extracurricular activities related to that skill. For example, if one of your children is really good at art then they might want to take up after-school lessons for painting or drawing. If your child has a keen interest in swimming then an extra lesson could be beneficial on top of the ones they already get with their school team!

Being part of extracurricular activities in school often means kids are more engaged at school too. This might not seem like an obvious benefit but it does mean your child will likely try harder when revising or getting on with homework knowing they’ve got something extra coming up each week.

Benefits of Extracurricular Activities for Students

Excel in academics

Most parents believe that extracurricular activities divide the child’s focus and cause them to lose academically. They usually dissuade the child from joining such activities due to fear that they will not get enough time for their schoolwork and thereby get lower grades. 

However, this is not the case. On the contrary, studies have shown that taking part in extracurricular activities can boost the child’s overall grades. Participating in activities they like is said to improve the students’ brain function. It was also found that participating in high endurance sports in schools such as football, athletics, badminton can help build the child’s stamina and give them an edge while writing exams. Along with higher academic goals, kids participating in extracurricular activities also had positive attitudes towards themselves, their school, and others.  

Social Circle 

This is probably one of the essential benefits of extracurricular activities as the child is meeting and bonding with many other students that share similar interests. This builds strong friendships in the kids that can last a lifetime. These activities also complement a child’s education and allow them to interact with children from different classes and institutes. 

Making the Child Future-Ready

Any extracurricular activity helps a child gain an edge above other students they would not usually find in the classroom. Extracurricular activities in school, such as joining a science club, can help the child be part of a project that they would not have usually been exposed to. On the other hand, joining a sports club can help the child develop team-building skills and understand making long term goals.

Time Management

School time is usually very hectic, and students hardly get any time to do anything once they are done with school. But whenever a child is part of an extracurricular activity that they like, they automatically find the time to do it apart from their school work. Making time for their passion will help them learn time management skills and be more efficient working professionals

Explore Interests

Extracurricular activities allow the child to spread their wings wider than just their school work. They get exposed to several other activities and usually find a few they like and ultimately become passionate about. Some kids may even make it a career that they would not have conventionally chosen.

Broader Perspectives

While class education opens up the child’s academic perspective choosing an extracurricular activity can give them a more in-depth perspective of the world as a whole. As the child diversifies their interests, the more exposed to worldly views they get, which can help them in the long run. 

Self-Esteem

When you start achieving success through your non-academic activities, your self-esteem improves. For example, when you become successful in chess, which is an extracurricular activity, you see it as a success of your hard work and that will ultimately percolate down to your studies as well. 

Break From Studies

Studies can get monotonous at times and the only way to break the monotony is to engage in meaningful extracurricular activities. These provide a welcome break from studies and homework. Depending on what activities your child likes to do or is pursuing, these can help them destress and relax their mind.

Conclusion

It’s important to encourage your child in their extra-curricular activities. Even if they don’t enjoy them at first, you need to support them and tell them how much talent they have for the activity. Encourage children with what interests them so that when it is time for college or a job, they will know what career path suits their needs best because of all the exposure they had over the years. 

At Orchids, we value extracurriculars equally. We have a lot of activities that might interest your children, from dancing to taekwondo, we have it all!