Extracurricular Activities – 6 Reasons Why They’re Important for A Child’s Growth (Childhood Development)

The best education does not happen at desk, but rather by getting engaged in everyday living – hands on activities, exploring, in active relationship with life.

The scenario of global education has been evolving at a rapid pace. A child is no longer evaluated, in his career path, only on the basis of academics but significance is also given on extra-curricular activities and his passion for the subject of expertise. Just like reading, writing, arithmetic, technology, an art/ extracurricular activities are essential elements of Education and are keys that unlock profound human understanding and now are no longer an extra element in the Education system.

It is more of Holistic approach to enjoy human life.

The time spent at pre-school, followed by an equally nurturing school, can create a strong and substantial foundation for a child `s overall healthy development.

It is vital that this time is used appropriately to nurture and educate these young minds enabling them to grow into socially responsible, creative & contributing adults in society.

It has been proven and strongly recommended by child advancement experts and psychologists that productive environments outside classrooms can have a positive impact on the development of a child. Today, apart from choosing a school with great academic records, parents should also invest time and research into considering one with a range of extracurricular activities for their child.

“RESTORE BALANCE. MOST KIDS HAVE TECHNOLOGY, SCHOOL & EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES COVERED.

IT`S TIME TO ADD

A PINCH OF ADVENTURE,

A SPRINKLE OF GREEN TIME &

A BIG HANDFUL OF PLAY”

Present day education for school students transcends textbook -based knowledge; Personal development has now come to the forefront along with academic learning.

One of the few schools in India that provide an all-round balance in education for children is MADE EASY SCHOOL (www.madeeasyschool.in), Gurugram (Gurgaon), a progressive school with a vision of promoting  a learning centered education focussing on all-round & holistic development of the child encompassing Cerebral Development, Social Development, Emotional Development, Physical Development and Spiritual Development maintaining an ideal balance between academics and extracuricular activities.

MADE EASY SCHOOL has included life skills as a compulsory element from the early development years to prepare a framework that makes them future-ready.

But Why Extracurricular Activities Are Important for a Child`s Growth (Childhood Development)?

 Here are 6 major reasons:

1. They build social skills

Let’s be honest, making friends can be hard but one of the easiest ways to make friends is through extracurricular activities. Each extracurricular activity children gets engaged in provides them with another opportunity to expand their social network. For a child to be socially active, it is vital to understand the advantages of signing them up for extracurricular activities.

For starters, children are exposed to meeting like-minded individuals, those not necessarily in their same age-group but who have similar passions or likes. Teamwork is another important factor that creates an open-minded spirit and respect for those around. Studies suggest that by bonding with different personalities through sports and other outdoor activities, children develop a flexibility that will help them become socially responsible as adults.

Another major plus point of being involved in extracurricular activities is that a child develops social connection skills to better adjust in society. In a fast-paced world, this is of utmost importance and encouraging this at an early age can be very beneficial for children.

2. They help explore their hidden talent and create broader perspectives

When a child participate in multiple different activities, he/she get the opportunity to explore a range of interests and unlock passions/magic they never knew they had. Also, diversifying their interests subsequently broadens their world view.

Most children realize their passion while being exposed to extracurricular activities. Apart from developing interest in academics, children also need to try their hand at sports and other activities. Their adoption of those can be developed over time or not, but it is nonetheless, very important that talents are given a chance to bloom during a child’s time at school.

Extracurricular activities can encourage children to recognize their talents, find out what they’re passionate about, and nurture that passion into a hobby and possibly even a career. It’s no secret that many famous personalities discovered their passion outside the classroom and have marked their presence all over the world,  to name a few – Narain Karthikeyan, Formula Car Racer, Rathika Ramasamy, Wildlife Photographer, Aqeel, DJ, Tripura Kashyap, Dance Therapist, Anuradha Roy, Author, Aditi Mittal, Stand Up Comedian.

3. It enhances critical thinking

Bound to the classroom and textbooks, a child’s thinking process is restricted to that of what is taught in class. This doesn’t always let children explore their imaginations or question their capabilities. Through extracurricular activities, children are trained to make and take their own decisions, have opinions, and use creativity to solve problems. Global surveys and studies have concluded that in addition to a child’s problem-solving skills in class, outdoor activities help them put on their analytical, evaluative, and creative thinking caps to find practical solutions for everyday life problems.

4. Enhances self-confidence

The more child achieve success through activities they’re passionate about, the more self-confident they feel. Working hard and mastering new skills in a fun, relaxed – and sometimes competitive – setting allows a child to be successful without the pressure of getting a good grade. Also, with more self-confidence, a child would be more open to taking risks in all aspects of his/her life.

The more children are appreciated for the activities they develop a liking for, the more their self-esteem and confidence will develop. It’s not just the grades on a report card, but when a child is recognized for skills outside the classroom, the impact on his/her confidence is always positive and productive. The best way to impart this is through extracurricular activities. Working hard in a fun and relaxed, yet competitive environment can help children build up their self-confidence that later can help them make vital decisions in their respective lives. This will also help a child consider more doors opened to them as opportunities rather than being risks.

5. They are productive breathers

Extracurricular activities give children something fun to do aside from school. With children spending most of their time in classrooms and sometimes in extra classes/tuitions, extracurricular activities provide the necessary breather that will help give their young minds some recreational space. Often, children are exposed to stressful situations, like during exams, for example. Short breaks where the child is exposed to fun activities that bring them satisfaction can help them become even better at academics. A well-observed phenomenon, the world over, is that physical activities can boost academic performance and this is why extracurricular activities should be encouraged.

6. They help develop essential life skills

On top of all of the benefits of extracurricular activities we already talked about, one of the greatest advantages extracurricular activities give children are “real world” skills.

These skills include (but are not limited to):

• Goal setting
• Teamwork
• Time management
• Prioritization
• Problem solving
• Analytical thinking
• Leadership
• Public speaking

The more children gets involved in extracurricular endeavors, the more they’ll develop these skills. Let say if a child is passionate about coding, he/she might join the school coding club, where he/she will develop teamwork, problem solving and analytical thinking skills as well and he/she could take that passion even further and create his/her own coding club, where he/she will develop goal setting, time management, prioritization, leadership and public speaking skills.

Each and every step will teach them a new skill they can use for the rest of their life.

It is, therefore, extremely important that parents consider all aspects of their child’s nurturing and upbringing, both inside a classroom and outside of it. In a world consumed with fast-paced, multitasking routines, it is vital that children are allowed to cool down and take breaks doing something they can loosen up with. Overworking their minds will bring no all-around advantage. This is precisely why extracurricular activities are now being introduced into school curriculums across the world to address and tackle the issue of overall growth.

When considering the list of schools in Gurgaon, for those living in the area, MADE EASY SCHOOL stands out as having more than adequate space and resources dedicated to extracurricular activities. One of the top CBSE schools in Gurgaon, MADE EASY SCHOOL provides a balanced academic curriculum that not only encourages the child to excel in the classroom but also develops the passion that will follow them throughout their school and adult life.