Why Co Curricular Activities Complement The Learning Experience

Having a good education is the most powerful weapon in such a dynamic world and as such, is a necessity. Are we giving our kids the best? That's not particularly dependent on the price of their school fees or the location of the school or the kinds of uniforms they wear but the quality of education they receive. How then can we quantify that? Let's start with what education is in real sense…

Education is simply acquiring knowledge by learning. We learn by what we see and hear and in some cases, taste, feel and smell. So, learning is not only particularly limited to the classroom. It goes far beyond; which is why your children need to be a part of co-curricular and extracurricular activities.

Co-curricular activities are activities that complement the learning experience. They help students to better understand what they learn in class. Such activities include: spelling bees, quiz competitions etc. Extracurricular activities on the other hand are those that go beyond the regular curriculum and are not directly related to your child’s academics. They usually have no academic credit and may not be sponsored by the school but are essential for their all round development. Extracurricular activities include gymnastics, athletics,sports like football, basketball etc

We keep saying you should let you allow your children do things outside book-work. What if these activities have negative effects on them? An activity is not considered to be in this category if it brings danger to your child in any ramification and as parents, it is our duty to protect our children. Examples of extra curricular and co curricular activities are:

• Knitting and crocheting
• Photography
• Fashion design
• Music (singing and playing an instrument)
• Dancing
• Joining school clubs (chess club, press club, boy scouts, girl scouts, debate clubs)
• Football
• Swimming
• Gymnastics
• martial arts
• tennis
• Athletics
• Cooking
• Drama
• Drawing and painting

There is the misconception that extracurriculars are not necessary. “Why would I let my kids run around on a football field?”, you may say. Here’s why:

They get to be creative: restricting your children to only formal education restricts them from thinking out of the box. All they can do is to obey commands. Sound like a robot? Yeahhhhhhh! Children should be allowed to be a part of activities outside the classroom as this would enable them to become innovative.

They get to acquire soft skills: soft skills are the immeasurable skills that every human should possess. Skills like emotional intelligence, leadership, team work, time management, strategic thinking begin to be harnessed when children are allowed to be part of these activities.

They get to stay fit and active. Children involved in extracurricular activities are healthier physically, mentally and emotionally than those who do not. I mean, they get to do fun stuff, learn, exercise their bodies and minds, and be the kids that they are. I would call that a win-win-win-win situation

Relieve stress: I know what you are thinking. Yes, children can get stressed too. And instead of indulging in social vices, they are able to feel less choked by involving themselves in productive activities.

They can find their passion: allowing children to be a part of extracurriculars can help them find what they really love to do and have a drive for. This can go a long way in defining who your child becomes in future; a success or a failure. We can only be really happy when we are doing what we love. Basically, your kids can discover who they really are.

It can keep them safe: activities like swimming, martial arts, boys scouts, girls scout and so on teach your kids how to defend themselves when there is a threat.

Boosts confidence: co curricular and extra curricular activities help your children to develop their social skills which in turn will help boost their confidence. Knowing that they are good at something else outside of the regular math and english they are being taught in school will give them this sense of achievement and let them know that they can be anything they want to be as far as they work hard and smart towards it.

Your child’s education is your responsibility as well as the school’s. Now, formal education alone is an imbalanced diet. it's not all about book. Many parents are really skeptical about extra curricular activities because they think it would distract their child. The key here is moderation.

Education = formal education + extracurriculars.

These skills that they pick up will give then an edge over their counterparts when they apply for internships, jobs and ecen universities. Extra curricular and co curricular activities help your children. Develop their innate talents and instill values like perseverance, hard work, discipline, patience, building relationships, leadership , self reliance, Dedication and honesty in them. All this can determine their overall personality as individuals. The list of activities that can help develop your kid is limitless.