Pastoral Wellbeing

How extra learning activities can help your child engage at school

Extracurricular activities give children a chance to try new things, meet new friends, develop new skills, and build stronger connections with their school and learning.

Key Points

• Extra learning activities that kids can do on top of their formal learning at school are also known as extracurricular activities.
• These activities can include additional learning experiences in curriculum activities like sport, music, art, and dance or activities that may not be part of the curriculum at school such as beekeeping, chess or photography.
• They are activities kids can do outside of the classroom usually before or after school, at the weekend, or during breaks at school.
• Extracurricular activities give children a chance to try new things, meet new friends, develop new skills, and can build stronger connections with their school and learning.
• For some young people, doing an extracurricular activity can help them relax or let off steam after the pressures of school.
• You can speak to your child’s school to find out what extracurricular activities are available at school and also contact local sporting clubs, music and art teachers, dance schools, and outdoor and recreation centres.

Extra learning activities that kids can do on top of their formal school learning, also known as extracurricular activities, are activities kids do outside of the classroom usually before or after school, during breaks at school, or at the weekend. There are many extracurricular activities available to children, including sport, music, art, outdoor pursuits, computers and coding, chess, and dance. Extracurricular activities give young people a chance to try new things and sometimes even find their spark. They can meet new friends, develop new skills, and build stronger connections with their school and learning.

1. Build new skills

Doing an extracurricular activity is a great way for your child to develop new skills. In addition to learning a new skill as part of their extracurricular activity, they are also developing other skills they can apply in the classroom at school.  Participating in a sporting team or choir can build your child’s teamwork skills, balancing different commitments can improve their time management skills, and finding an activity they enjoy can boost their self-confidence. And when your child does activities they feel passionate about, it can increase their brain function and help them concentrate, both of which can help with learning at school.

2. Explore new interests

Trying out different extracurricular activities gives your child the opportunity to explore a range of interests and unlock a spark they may not have known they had. When your child finds their spark, it can help them find some purpose in the world and escape the stress of everyday life.  As children explore environments they may not encounter at school or at home, they are exposed to new ideas, stimulating their curiosity and giving them a broader view of the world which can help open their mind, inspire their creativity, and improve their learning at school. Learning a new skill outside of school can give a child a sense of achievement and strengthen their confidence in their ability to learn and succeed at school.

3. Meet new people

One of the easiest ways to make friends is through extracurricular activities. Doing an activity with other children who like doing the same thing can create connections among kids from which friendships can grow. Learning how to make and keep new friends, and developing the skills to choose good friends, takes time and practice. Doing extracurricular activities is a way for children to develop these important life skills. Extracurricular activities can also help children expand their social network beyond their classmates at school, broadening their friendship circle and helping them feel more confident about making social connections at school, and as they mature and move through life.

4. Enjoy a healthy break from study

Extracurricular activities give young people a chance to learn something new and do something they enjoy while taking a break from schoolwork. For some young people, doing an extracurricular activity can help them relax or let off steam after the pressures of school.  Depending on your child’s interests, an extracurricular activity can give them the chance to get outside and exercise, see friends, and refresh their mind – all of which will help them engage better with their learning at school.

Balance is important

When there are so many interesting extracurricular activities to choose from, kids can sometimes take on more than they can handle. You know your child best and what they can manage so if you think they are becoming tired and overwhelmed managing school and their extracurricular activities, it might be time to step in and help them reduce their load.

What the research says

Research has found that the school dropout rate among at-risk students was markedly lower for students who had earlier participated in extracurricular activities compared with those who did not participate.  A further study found that adolescents who participated in structured activities supervised by positive adult role models were more likely to make personal investments in their schooling, while other studies have found that young people involved in extracurricular activities are more likely to stay in school than their uninvolved peers.