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Extracurricular activities like sports, arts and crafts, music, poetry and drama, etc., help bring kids’ talent onboard. It is essential for their overall development as it instills social, physical, and mental skills. It keeps them active, engaged, and on their feet rather than dull. Kids can sharpen their skills by participating in extracurricular activities.
Children need to indulge in activities outside the classroom and school to develop an understanding of the outside world to assess which activities they can participate in. Parents can help their kids choose which activities they will thrive in and introduce different extracurricular activities to build a well-rounded personality.
These activities help children easily develop the abilities and skills required at a young age. It benefits them throughout their adult life.
Apart from these basic traits, let us see what other benefits kids derive from participating in extracurricular activities.
1. Self Expression
Kids may be unable to express themselves the same way as adults. They express their feelings, desires, and thoughts the most through art. It is the first subject they learn after picking up a paper and pen. Their teachers and parents encourage them to draw anything they like, and that reflects what the child is thinking. It is an excellent way of self-expression for a child. Therefore, enrolling your children in art classes for kids could prove to be beneficial for them.
You will find different forms of art classes for kids of every age, including digital art. It can even help them pursue a career as artists in the future. They can use art classes to build their portfolio to get into art school. It opens up an avenue for your child at a young age. Moreover, it instills creative abilities that help a child find creative solutions to problems.
2. Improves Physical and Mental Health
Indulging in activities outside the school is beneficial for the kid’s physical and mental well-being. It can help take their mind off the stress of studies or school. Moreover, extracurricular physical activities like playing for a team are better than video games at home. This way, they can enhance their social skills, improve their metabolism, and build a strong immune system.
Extracurricular activities can provide kids with positive energy to counter the growing concern of obesity, anxiety, and depression. It can ultimately reduce the chances of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, social anxiety, depression, and stroke at a young age.
Another study has revealed that children more active in extracurricular activities feel more satisfied with their lives and less anxious around other people. The same study also revealed that while screen time may contribute to depression, physical activities could be more mentally stimulating yet relaxing.
3. Develop Positive Habits
The early developmental stages of a child’s life are crucial for building habits. If they adopt negative habits early on, they may not give them up as they grow old. Therefore, positive habits are essential for the better development of a child. Participating in extracurricular activities is the best way to do that.
If kids participate in various activities throughout the day, they learn time management, understand the importance of community building, become self-efficient and develop compassion towards others. As they grow older, they learn to balance their professional, student, and personal life accordingly.
More importantly, if a child likes to participate in a certain extracurricular activity, they will find the time to indulge in it after school, even if they feel tired. It can help them find their passion and turn it into a career they otherwise may not have considered.
4. Excel in Academics
As much as co-curricular activities help children excel academically, so do extracurricular activities. Focusing too much on studies throughout the day can cause children to lose focus and become dull. They need to stimulate their mind and body elsewhere to enhance their academic performance.
Participating in high-endurance activities such as football, basketball, hockey, badminton, or tennis can enhance memory retention in kids. It also helps boost brain function, allowing it to absorb more material. It can prove to be extremely beneficial before taking exams. Instead of cramming for an exam last minute or the night before, indulging in high-endurance sports can help relax their nerves and muscles and focus on the exam.
Moreover, extracurricular activities help kids develop a positive attitude toward academics. If they spend enough time away from schoolwork, they will return to school feeling more energized and ready to learn new things.
5. Learn New Skills
Children need to learn skills outside the class to excel in their professions and embrace life’s challenges. Extracurricular activities allow them to spread their wings beyond school and explore their interests outside of it.
For example, playing an instrument instills hand-eye coordination abilities and teaches discipline, perseverance, and creativity. Similarly, playing for a team instills social skills, team building, leadership, and problem-solving abilities. Kids soon learn that the more time they spend performing the activity, the better they will get at it. It will further motivate them to focus on it and, eventually, excel in it.
Children can also apply these skills inside the classroom, further enhancing their learning journey. For example, they can apply team-building exercises to their class group working on a project together. They can also act as the group’s leader and help keep everyone motivated.
Conclusion
Highlighted above were just some of the ways in which extracurricular activities can be beneficial for a child’s growth, development, and future. We all know that all work and no play make Jack a dull boy and this applies to every person (not just children). Even though focusing on studies and classroom activities related to the curriculum is of immense significance, parents and teachers need to understand that extracurricular activities are needed to strike a balance. When children are allowed to play their favorite instrument, use colors to paint and express themselves or shoot hoops after school, going to school won’t feel like a burdensome task they have to accomplish every day. Hence, indulging in sports, arts, or any other physically and mentally stimulating activities after school play a significant role in your child’s development and academic performance.
