Importance of Co-curricular Activities at School

The criticality of Co-curricular activities is underestimated in the recent education system. Every activity in school life plays a vital role in shaping young minds. An ideal school’s ideology would encourage its students to excel not only in academics but also in co-curricular activities. You will often come across students asking questions like “Why am I even performing this activity?”, “What am I going to get out of these activities?” or “Why should I do it if I am not getting marks/scores/grades?”. In order to develop a child in a 360-degree spectrum, the child needs a blend of emotional, physical, mental, moral and spiritual development. These areas can be molded positively in a child by participating and excelling in various co-curricular activities. 

Left Brain v/s Right Brain Theory of Development:

You must be aware that your brain is divided into two halves or hemispheres. Within each half, particular regions control certain day to day functions/activities. Here the left brain is responsible for thinking, sequencing, linear thought, facts and logic. On the other hand, the right brain is responsible for feelings, visualizations, imaginations, intuitions, rhythm, holistic thinking and art. In order the develop both the hemispheres equally you need to incorporate both logic, facts through academics and art, rhythm through co-curricular activities. Before we move to why co-curricular activities are important, let’s understand what are co-curricular activities.

What Are Co-curricular Activities?

The real and practical experiences gained by children through various games, sports, arts, literature, culture, etc. are known as co-curricular activities. In other words, co-curricular activities refer to all the activities performed by students in school to enhance their skillsets other than academics. These activities are an essential part of school life. Hence, co-curricular activities are designed to keep in mind a balance with the academic curriculum so that each student learns beyond regular predefined subjects. It includes games, debates, music, drama, drawing, painting, and many more. Let us now take a brief dive into why co-curricular activities are important for a student in his/her schooling journey. 

Importance of Co-curricular Activities:

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”
In this fast-paced world, the above proverb has lost its charm. Parents these days do not encourage children to participate in extracurricular activities because your 10th standard report card has no provision for grading them. Activities such as sports help in the overall physical and mental development of a child. Nowadays, we see youngsters complaining of ill health, it’s because of the lack of physical activities involved in their daily life routine.
E.g.: If your child is exposed to sports daily, he/she not only learns a new sport but also internally strengthens his/her stamina and confidence. 

Not side-lining the importance of academic scores for further/higher education criteria, extra co-curricular activities like sports, games, art and culture, etc. provide a good platform for a student to outshine their latent potentials. Each activity offered by the school is for a reason collectively aiming for your child’s growth. It is said that, if a child is cramming into the books throughout the day and not performing any other activity their concentration level is expected to deteriorate. Therefore, there should be a blend of both, studies as well as other activities in daily life. Students should take participating in different activities and competitions seriously with the plethora of options available today. As a parent we recommend you to find a sweet spot of interest in your little one and encourage them to pursue it.

Hidden Benefits of Co-curricular Activities:
1. Healthy Competition: It brings healthy competition amongst the students. A child learns to take winning as a prideful moment and also loss gracefully.
2. Communication Skills: It empowers and helps the students to express themselves freely and communicate without barriers. Events like quizzes, debates and hosting school events enhance communication skills.
3. Activeness: Activities help students not only to be wise but also to be fit and energetic in their daily lives.
4. Teamwork: The student gets exposure to organizing activities that help them develop new skills. Additionally, co-operate and co-ordinate with different departments and bring them all together for the success of a school event. Events like Sports day, Annual day, etc. ignite teamwork qualities in your child.
5. Social skills: Students learn how to behave and manage the situation when they are in contact with organizers, fellow participants, teachers, and people outside the school during cultural activity.
6. Leadership Qualities: Students learn to take initiative and responsibilities, taking accountability.
7. Creative thinking: When participating in any activity students find newer ways to overcome challenges. It helps them in visualization.

Summing up:
At Shri. Harshad C. Valia International School, we ensure both the right brain and left brain development to ensure the all-round development of our students. Also, a school should involve various interesting ways of learning like quizzes, debates, recitation, etc. While picking a school for your kid, you might as well have a look at all the co-curricular facilities the school has to offer.