Extra-curricular activities are a source of joy and learning, inquisitiveness and friendly behaviour, and dedication and exploration. Students are told to participate in extracurricular activities to have a positive impact on their success. Engaging in such activities prompts students to avail opportunities to build relations, learn social conduct, and nurture basic skills for academic achievements.
By definition, extracurricular activities are those activities that complement the normal routine study.
Do Extra-Curricular Activities Distract Students?
That said, the argument that extracurricular activities are not so much important is still debatable as parents feel that these activities distract students from regular studies.
None can deny the fact that academics hold value over anything, and academic achievements are the basis of extracurricular activities to help teachers evaluate students. But, extracurricular activities are necessary for adolescent development. It nourishes students to raise their confidence and courage and strengthens them to integrate it in the future. While academics offer them scope for limited growth due to a limited syllabus, extracurricular activities are explored regardless of the scope and can set up a smart evaluation culture in education.
Research shows that these extracurricular activities are responsible for pushing students beyond their boundaries to heighten their sense of engagement. Students’ participation in clubs, sports activities, volunteer activities, and other such activities contribute to their social development, character development, and a sense of the importance of community involvement.
70% of CEOs are those who demonstrated their perfection in extracurricular activities. Grabbing these opportunities makes them grow gradually for the holistic development of skills.
“Parents, first and foremost, it is important to… understand and recognise the activities your child is naturally gravitating towards. It’s important also to ensure that your child likes what he or she is doing. I believe in exposing children to as many hobbies and extracurricular activities as possible,” said Viswanathan Anand.
Why Extra-Curricular Activities are Essential for Students’ Growth?
Social interaction boosts your confidence and pound in your new skills and abilities. These activities allow students to learn and manage time, excel in organizational skills and improve self-confidence to learn better self-expression.
Despite some students panic about their inability to perform certain tasks, indulging in Extra-Curricular Activities provides them with the courage and motivation that comes with repetition. Practice extracurriculars and demonstrate several key qualities like Drive, Commitment, Time management, Interest, Talent, etc.
Let’s be honest, extracurriculars help you determine traits that are pertinent to your academic interests. As students, you can consider participating in extracurricular to nurture your personality. Rich and action-oriented extracurricular activities like performing arts, honours society, sports/athletics, publications, student government and academic clubs may spark your interest.
What Activities Colleges Should Conduct to Nourish Students?
Now that you understand what extracurriculars are and how they add to your college applications, let’s break down why extracurricular activities are important for high school students.
So the goal is to nurture skills. Which activities will cater to it?
- Teamwork
- Public speaking
- Task Prioritisation
- Time management
- Leadership
- Problem-solving
- Analytical thinking
If you are passionate about public speaking, you might join a communication club, where you’ll learn speaking skills. Phew, unlock the potential in yourself that you never knew you had. To get it straight, extracurricular activities give you something fun to explore new things and discover things that you can’t learn through books.
- Academic activity: Pick any activity that links to the field you have chosen to study and go into it to reach the core. Like, starting teaching students if you want to be a teacher or volunteering at events if it interests you.
- Personality activity: Hone your personality by joining groups that focus on holistic development. Participate in athletic clubs to develop problem-solving skills
- Leadership activity: If you are responsible and prefer leading things, start by serving as a class monitor or college president to become a leader. Try leading small things to be a professional.
- Service activity: Make your voice heard. Nurture empathy and accountability and be the leader as well as the speaker.
- Learn Skills That Matters – We can always learn new skills, be it when in college or in school. Skills like teamwork, time management, activity management and other related skills can always be covered through management courses.
Conclusion
Indulge in extracurricular activities to spot opportunities that are similar to your interests and goals. Although you can participate in such activities, you can always find patterns to maximize your passion. Students get to choose from a lot of activities in colleges, some best BBA colleges in Ghaziabad focus on the well-rounded development of students.