Extracurricular activities like arts, sports, and community service whatever are it, helps in keeping students busy after their school hours. But these teams, groups, or organizationsdo a lot more than just keeping the children engaged.
When children select the proper extracurricular activities, it benefits them in thesocial, academic and emotional way. If student bears the significance of extracurricular activities inmindit assists them in picking up the group with matching interests.
Most of the high schools now a day indulge in offering plethora of extracurricular tasks. These activities usually take place before or after the school and sometimes even on weekends.Some parents get doubtful whether they would put the kids in these activities, but in the long run, these additional activities bring many benefits.
It is wise on the part of parents if they allow their child to get involved in on or more extracurricular activities inschool; it actually helps the child to develop people skill, working skill and more. But the involvement in these activities must be within a limit, and overdoing may result in disaster. Please have a glimpse on the various advantages that come with extracurricular activities and when to draw the line.
Advantages of Extracurricular Activities
When as a parent you are in adilemmawhether to put the middle school student in some form of extracurricular activities, thereare some benefits that you should consider before plunging to a decision. Below is listed some of the advantagesthat kids will enjoy once they get involved in one such activity.
- Development of Time Management skills and Prioritizing
Prioritizing things and time management are skills that are very significant for success in professional as well as personal life. Teens will surely develop these skills if they are engaged in anextracurricular activity. We as adults need to juggle between so many commitments and tasks at the same time. The kids or teens learn all of this by involving themselves in such activities.
- Involvement in Diverse Interests
Students get the opportunity to be involved in varied interests when they take part in extracurricular activities. It is quite significant for students to be diverse in the interestssince in this course, they may explore some hidden talent and may excel in that field in fixture.
- Learn Long Term Commitments
Another amazing benefit of extracurricular activities is that teens get to know about the importance of long-term commitments. When students get involved in one of the clubs or activities, they need to offer acommitment to the activity for a long time period.
If they fail to hold up till the end of the course they will hear from the peers or even tutors about it. So, the extra-curricular activities will teach the participants to take on commitments for a long term which will benefit them later in life.
- Make Contribution
Children offer their contribution in some way when they do a certain extracurricular activity.This helps them not to beself-centred and contribute to something worthwhile instead of only thinking about one.This helps to create a better person of them.
- Building of Self Esteem
The sense of self-esteem in a teen in many times gets developed when they are doing some extracurricular activities. In the vulnerable age of middle school kids may sometimes feel that they are worthless and they are good at nothing. These activities help them build self –prestige at a time when they struggle to develop it.
Most students try to get something where they can excel and outdo others, and extracurricular activities can offer them an opportunity to stick to something where they can dazzle and enhance their esteem.
- Build Strong Relationship Skills
One of the major benefits of extracurricular activities is that teens will be able to develop solid relationship skills. The students learn about theappreciating act in social scenarios and also get engaged in social activities. In the long run,these activities help them to do this outside school hour under the supervision of adults.
- Looks Great on College Applications
The CV or college application form gets a great enhancement, which is another top benefit of getting involved in extracurricular activities. Generally colleges will look at the extracurricular activities they were involved in middle or high school besides of course the grades when a student applies to any prominent college. The main intention being that student should not be just book worms and are capable of getting out and doing more. The activities which teens take part shows a lot about them, and college admission team also puts a lot of importance in that.
But extracurricular activities must not be overdone
As guide or parents, it must be taken into consideration how much of extracurricular activities are too much, even with all the number of benefits it brings about. If you get involved in too many activities, it will not serve any good, but a chosen few activities are always preferred.
When as a student you engage in many activities, it may result in time crunch and lack of recreation and may finally hamper your academics to a great extent.To know more about what parents should avoid doing to middle school goers can check the 8 things Parents should avoid doing to middle school goers.
So it is better to take advice from parents or tutors and put a limit onthe number of extracurricular activities. You can select a couple of your favorite activity and handle them properly along with studies.
In the start, you should just pick up one activity and check how you can time manage with your school and study hours.After this stage, you may get involved in more than one and balance them and perform well.