Aristotle said, “The quality of a life is determined by its activities.” Education is informative and important but extra-curricular activities sow and nurture dreams. These activities beyond academics are very important for a child’s holistic development. They are an essential part of school life and are designed for students to develop skills beyond subject knowledge.

Whatever a child learns outside the regular academic curriculum stays with them for a life-time. It is these ‘real-world’ skills like team-spirit, goal-setting, time management, analytical thinking, prioritization, leadership skills, communication skills, public speaking, and an overall confident and expressive personality that prepare children at a young age to sail through life with confidence.

It is said, “All work and no play, make Jack a dull boy.” So, activity rooms and playgrounds are as important as classrooms. Non-scholastic activities like sports, athletics, cultural events, art and craft as well as participation in debates, competitions, recitation, group discussion tremendously help children in developing social and behavioural skills. Extra-curricular activities aid in developing a range of skills, personal qualities and experience, which is beneficial to live a productive and active life. The following points mentions how co-curricular activities immensely help children at a young age in overall personality development, such as-

Great learning experience - Co-curricular activities increase students’ participation thereby improving attendance. Classroom activities like quizzes, debates etc. lead to better academic grades as learning becomes fun for them.

Enhanced social skills – Extra-curricular activities give an opportunity to expand their social skills, as the activities are usually done in groups and teams. It increases team-spirit in children as well as improves social and behavioural skills.

Better physical and mental health – Participating in activities like athletics, sports, indoor games, yoga etc. benefits children with physical and mental. Also, active participation in activities that children love to do beyond academics improves their brain function.

Improved academic performance – Co-curricular activities are designed to supplement academic learning. That’s why schools equally focus on sports, music, art and drama.

Time-management skills - co-curricular activities are such that involve multitasking which helps children in prioritising the tasks. They become independent in striking a balance between working on academics and practicing the co-curricular activity that they like. They learn to manage both studies and activities beyond academics efficiently.

 

Therefore, extra-curricular activities can be called as “productive breaks” that children at school look forward to, as they give them a chance to explore their passions and interests beyond the book-world. They are the means to have an exposure to things and activities that exist beyond academic curriculum.

It is very important to read children’s interests and encourage them towards it. Their participation and interest in activities beyond academics helps them in discovering their hidden talent and finding a new dimension in life. It clearly widens and expands their horizon as they experience life.

It is worth concluding the significance of extra-curricular for children with the words of the world-famous Chess Champion, Vishwanathan Anand, who says it all - “Parents, first and foremost, it is important to…understand and recognise the activities your child is naturally gravitating towards. It is 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.”