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"Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it." - Bruce Lee

As kids, our parents would put us in sports or other activities to give us an opportunity to find what we were are good at. The activities that we were involved in as kids, may not always stick, but it can be a guide to future extracurricular activities. As we grow up, we began to realize how beneficial extracurricular activities are to expressing who we are as people. Extracurricular activities create an environment for children to learn more about themselves and help them grow into their own person.

Learning Targets:

Students will be able to define what an extracurricular activity is.
Students will be able to explain why extracurriculars are important to participate in as children grow up.
Students will be able to describe the impact of extracurriculars on students’ school life.

What is an extracurricular activity?

Me performing as Roxie in the musical "Chicago" my senior year of high school.

An extracurricular activity is a term used to describe activities done outside of school or in school. This includes clubs, sports, music, and much more.

Me playing softball for my travel team.

If we break down the word extracurricular, we can get a better understanding of what it means, According to Bartkus et al. (2012), curricular is an adjective that means “of or relating to an academic course of study”. Extra can mean excessive, adding on, and more. Extracurricular therefore means the add-on of an or relating to an academic course of study.

My senior night for marching band (flag line).

Most extracurriculars are highly structured and are a way to offer the youth a way to develop leadership opportunities/skills (Darling et al., 2005). Extracurricular activities are a way to find out what you like to do and what you are good at.

Why are extracurricular activities important for child development?

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Supportive relationships in a social environment help with children’s development in a healthy way (Wilson, 2009).

Extracurricular activities are important for child development because it begins to create skills in children that will impact them as they grow up.
Extracurriculars have been associated with many positive outcomes which include higher career goals, better attendance, and stronger relationships with peers (Hannah, 2020).
As children participate in extracurricular activities, they will start to create time management, organization, social abilities, and it will overall encourage them to participate more and succeed tremendously in school.
Most parents say that it is easy to find after-school activities for their kids, and helps increase their involvement in the community (Pew Research Center, 2020).

What is the impact of extracurriculars on students’ school life?

Edu, byL., Leverage Edu, & *, N. (2021, September 16). Importance of extracurricular

activities. Leverage Edu. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from

https://leverageedu.com/blog/extra-curricular-activities-importance/.

Darling et al. (2005), states that studies have shown stronger academic commitment and an overall better academic performance.
The involvement of extracurriculars not only helps students academically but also socially and mentally. Benefits of extracurriculars include self-confidence, increased self-concept, self-worth, future, and current aspirations, and life-long skills (Hannah, 2020).
In Hannah’s study (2020), teachers have seen students who participate in extracurriculars participate more in the classroom, get in less trouble, improve social skills, and can take accountability.

Conclusion

Extracurricular activities have always been a big part of my life and have given me opportunities to learn more about myself and express myself in ways that I didn’t think could be possible. Extracurricular activities encourage the healthy development of students because of the support/opportunities that are present compared to doing a less positive after-school activity (Wilson, 2009). Extracurricular activities create skills that will have an everlasting impact on the students to achieve and be successful in the future. The benefits of extracurricular activities on students and even teachers create an academic relationship that helps with attendance, grades, social skills, and self-confidence. Extracurriculars create the ability to socialize with peers and adults, set and achieve goals, and problem-solving abilities (Darling et al. 2005). Extracurricular activities have many positive outcomes that will benefit student development as they grow up and go into adulthood. Without extracurricular activities, I wouldn’t be the person I am today, and I’m so grateful for opening up and expressing myself.

Questions!

What does "curricular" mean?

A. Circulation

B. More/excessive

C. Of or relating to an academic course of study

D. Relating to an outside-of-school event

Sarah has just begun to be active in some clubs at her school. Her recent involvement with extracurricular activties has caused great improvements in her school-life. What kind of skills would reflect Sarah's improvement in school?

A. Better Attendance

B. Create new skills for a short period of time.

C. Both A and D

D. Stronger academic commitment

ANSWERS:

References

Bartkus, K. R., Nemelka, B., Nemelka, M., & Gardner, P. (2012). Clarifying the meaning of

extracurricular activity: A literature review of definitions. American Journal of Business Education (AJBE), 5(6), 693-704.

Darling, N., Caldwell, L. L., & Smith, R. (2005). Participation in school-based extracurricular

activities and adolescent adjustment. Journal of leisure research, 37(1), 51-76. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.2005.11950040

Hannah, R. I. (2020). Teachers' Perceptions of How Extracurricular Activities Impact Students'

School Engagement: A Multiple Case Study (Doctoral dissertation, Northcentral University). 1-100.

Wilson, N. (2009). Impact of extracurricular activities on students. 1-33.

Pew Research Center. (2020, May 30). Parental attitudes on children's extracurricular activities. Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project. Retrieved September 14, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2015/12/17/5-childrens-extracurricular-activities/.