Fun Extracurricular Activities That Every Kid Will Enjoy
What do you prefer to do in your spare time after school? Are you aware that every minute you spend outside school hours could also decide your future? Are you interested in using this time to work on your skills and learn more besides classroom education? If the answer to these questions is yes, extracurricular activities are what you should look out for.
These activities allow the students to be aware of the world outside the classroom and are considered a true investment in a child's future as it provides extra energy and curiosity to grow into healthy, well-rounded individuals. While such activities are fun and entertaining, they pave the way for all kids to enjoy a prosperous career. Also, these extracurricular activities hold a special place in the college application and are often a must-need skill to get admission to your preferred college.
While extracurricular activities are of great importance and come with a range of benefits, it is a difficult task to clearly define the best ones you should do or which activity you should be devoting your time to. Figuring out which activity is a good fit from the wide array of options can be overwhelming. With this in mind, here we are going to discuss the concept of activities outside the classroom. We will learn about the benefits, which activities should be taken into consideration, how to find the valuable option, and more. So, read this article and learn how you can make the most of your free time.
Introduction To Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular activities can be simply defined as “Ocean of experience.” As the name suggests, extracurricular activities are pursued as a special interest outside the standard educational curriculum. It can be anything that can keep a student happy and active, develop their personalities, improve their social intelligence, enhance their skills, and more. Always remember such activities are not limited to what the school has to offer and are always structured around a goal, purpose, etc.
While there are a number of definitions of such activities outside the classroom, International Institute For Educational Planning has defined it the best. According to them, it is “a range of activities organized outside of the regular school day, curriculum or course intended to meet learners’ interests. These activities can help learners become more involved in their school or community and help them develop social and soft skills, and promote well-being. These activities can include athletics, sport, voluntary work, photography, drama, music, etc. In some countries, this is also referred to as ‘co-curricular activities.”
Benefits of Extracurricular Activities
Participating in extracurricular activities is an excellent way of broadening your social circle, building multiple skills, and expanding your interest. They come with great benefits and offer long-term positive outcomes. Here are some of the significant advantages of indulging in such activities.
- Teaches leadership and teamwork
- Improves self-confidence
- Develops communication skills
- Enhances personality
- Creates a sense of community
- Develops time management skills
- Cuts down risky behaviors
- Teaches work-life balance
- Develops health and well-being
- Improves academic performance
- Builds networking opportunities
- Enhances problem-solving skills
- Develops critical thinking
- Teaches life lessons
- Contributes to emotional maturity
The List Of Extracurricular Activities You Should Check Out
Now that you know how important these activities are, you will be surprised to learn the list of extracurricular activities. To simplify it, we have divided the list into different categories. Although the list of all the activities is pretty extensive, here are some common options.
Even if you are aware of your interest, you should at least glance over the options. You never know what might grab your attention!
Sports
- Cheerleading
- Football
- Cycling
- Baseball
- Hockey
- Wrestling
- Swimming
- Gymnastics
- Hiking Club and other sports.
Academic clubs
- Math Club
- Coding Club
- Creative Writing Club
- Poetry Club
- Biology Club
- History Club
- Architecture Club
- Literary Magazine Club
- Literature Club and more.
Arts
- Dance Choreography
- Concert Band
- Orchestra
- Drama Club
- Singing Lessons
- Stand Up Comedy
- Church Choir
- Filmmaking
- Puppetry, etc.
Affinity Groups
- Interests
- Religious affiliation
- Sexual identity
- Ethnic or national identity
- Political opinions and more.
Internships
- Anthropology internship
- Theater/drama internship
- Internship at a local hospital
- Research-based internship
- Internship at Law Firm
- Non-profit sector internship
- Internship with Senator
- Teacher’s assistantship/internship
- Local Government Internship
Visual Arts
- Calligraphy
- Sculpture
- Video Production
- Photography
- Graphic Designing
- Painting
Other activities (hobbies)
- Independent Reading
- Travel
- Writing
- Gardening
- Yoga
- Foreign Language
- Debate Club
- Child care, etc.
Wrapping up
Now that you have made it this far, it is a sign that you are on the right track! If any of the aforementioned activities appeal to you, you are in luck. However, those who are still confused about what to do, fret not. We recommend at least skimming through all the options. If you still think that you are not interested, you can turn any of your hobbies or favorite pastime into an extracurricular activity. Even if it is not unique enough to be on the list, you can still add it and share it with the world. All it requires is your passion for it.
Trust us; the experience of these activities will benefit you in the future much more than you will realize.
FAQs
How to choose extracurricular activities?
With so many options to choose from, it becomes overwhelming for a person to look for the ones that suit them the best. However, with a few easy steps, you can make the entire process of narrowing down the options much more effortless. Follow them and find out what’s right for you.
- Brainstorm the ideas or activities that seem good to you.
- Ask yourself what interests you the most, and then see which activities match with it the best.
- Look after your strength, skills, and qualities
- Try out different activities and see which captivates your attention
How many activities should a student indulge in?
There is no set limit of activities that is considered enough. The more activities a student indulges in, the more benefits they will reap, and the easier it will become for them to get into a college. However, make sure that these activities don’t affect your studies, lead to lack of sleep, or disconnect the student from their personal life. Always keep in mind- “Quality over quantity.”
What are the drawbacks of not indulging in any extracurricular activities?
- Creates self-esteem and confidence issues
- Reduces the growth of a student in terms of skills, exposure, and learning
- Unhealthy lifestyle purges in
- Decreases the chance of getting into the dream college