Sure enough, we can.<\/p>\n
From academic achievement to personal well-being, here are the 3 biggest ways that extracurricular activities make a lifelong impact on young people.<\/p>\n
Whether you are sneaking past your opponent\u2019s Queen with a sly Rook to A4, nailing the high E in your second act ballad, or juking a defender out of their moonboots, the obvious value of extracurricular activities is that they are \u201cfun.\u201d While administrators won\u2019t be shutting down activities in the name of \u201canti-fun,\u201d some may argue that kids should be putting their limited time towards pursuits that more directly support academic and professional growth.<\/p>\n
Considering budgetary limitations and time constraints, is the chess club really all that important? Would it be that big of a deal if the high school spring musical was cancelled? Does the Tuesday afternoon football scrimmage actually matter?<\/p>\n
Research points to yes. Not only do extracurricular activities bring the fun factor, studies indicate that they lay a strong foundation for success later in life. Extracurriculars are credited with improving young students\u2019 engagement in school, academic achievement, personal well-being, and beyond. Here\u2019s a quick overview on the impact of extracurricular activities and our take on why extracurriculars are worth fighting for.<\/p>\n
The image of a student scrawling out their fifth essay of the week, ignoring calls from their friends to come shoot hoops, and developing their first gray hairs is an oft-drawn, dramatized character trope. But evidence suggests that kids could be missing out on personal, holistic benefits by not participating in extracurricular activities<\/strong>.<\/p>\n A landmark 2003 study by Eccles, Barber, Stone, and Hunt concluded that extracurricular activities \u201cprovide children with opportunities to gain self-knowledge and a sense of their strengths, values, and interests.\u201d According to the authors, these gains build a foundation for identity exploration, a crucial aspect of adolescent development.4<\/p>\n Additionally, participation in extracurricular activities has been shown to relate to lower depression<\/strong> and greater future social competence<\/strong> in younger children.4<\/sup> Multiple studies have linked active involvement in high-level, competitive sports to students being more conscientious, efficient, organized, and systematic<\/strong>.1<\/sup> One study showed that self-esteem, self-concept, and social capital<\/strong> was heightened in kids who participate in school sports.1<\/sup><\/p>\n If participating in an extracurricular activity can foster confidence and competence in students, a program like chess club becomes so much more than just pieces moving on a board. It\u2019s an opportunity to develop kids, to care for kids, and to give kids the vital personal tools they need to achieve more in their lives.<\/p>\n Snap! Sum-Up | Extracurricular activities can provide a whole slew of benefits to the well-being of participating students, including: self-knowledge; a sense of strengths, values, and interests; identity exploration; lower levels of depression; greater future social competence; conscientiousness; efficiency; organization; systematic abilities; self-esteem; self-concept; and social capital.<\/strong><\/p>\n School Participation and Attendance<\/strong> Of a group of public high school seniors studied by researchers O\u2019Brien and Rollefson, a little over half of the students that were involved in extracurricular activities reported no unexcused absences during their first semester. Similarly, a little over half of the involved seniors reported that they never skipped a class that first semester. Seniors who were not involved in an extracurricular program reported less school participation: a little over one-third of non-participating seniors reported having no unexcused absences and a little over two-fifths reported having never skipped a class that first semester.5<\/sup><\/p>\n A study conducted by Eccles and Barber found similar evidence of extracurricular activities promoting school attachment, showing that students who participated in extracurricular activities not only skipped class less but also enjoyed school more.1<\/sup><\/p>\n Completing high school is correlated to involvement in extracurricular activities.<\/strong><\/p>\n One study found that students who were involved in a fine arts extracurricular program, such as dance or drama, were 20% less likely to drop out of high school than non-involved students. Students involved in sports were 70% less likely to drop out of high school.1<\/sup><\/p>\n Perhaps math and English classes alone aren\u2019t always enough to keep kids\u2019 interest, but the extra pull of delivering a monologue in the school play or getting the chance to throw the javelin at a varsity meet encourages kids to keep showing up.<\/p>\n Snap! Sum-Up | Students that participate in extracurricular activities have fewer unexcused absences, skip class less, enjoy school more, and are more likely to complete high school.<\/strong><\/p>\n Academic Achievement <\/strong> A 2016 study conducted by Marchetti, Wilson, and Dunham found that at-risk students from a low socioeconomic background who met ACT reading and mathematics benchmarks were more likely to participate in extracurricular activities<\/strong> than students who did not meet the same standards.3<\/sup><\/p>\n Irish secondary school students who were involved in a competitive school sports team were shown to have improved leaving examination results<\/strong> when compared to students who did not play on a team.1<\/sup><\/p>\n In a study of tenth grade students, researchers found that church and volunteer activities, team sports, school involvement, performing arts, and academic clubs were all correlated with better academic performance<\/strong>.1<\/sup><\/p>\n Some researchers propose that extracurricular activities lead to greater academic achievement due to a concept known as \u201ctransfer theory.\u201d Transfer theory argues that the skills learned in one area of life can be \u201ctransferred\u201d to another to promote greater achievement across the board.<\/em><\/p>\n For example, Bradley and Conway hypothesized in 2016 that developing more self-efficacy through participating in music lessons allows students to achieve more in school as a result of their newfound confidence.1<\/sup> It\u2019s a small, beautiful domino-effect.<\/p>\n So, not only are extracurricular activities found to benefit a student\u2019s personal well-being, but the positive skills (like self-efficacy, efficiency, and social competence) gained through those extracurricular activities can be applied in the classroom\u2014meaning that kids who participate in extracurricular activities are likely to be better students because of it<\/strong>!<\/p>\n Snap! Sum-Up | Students who are involved in extracurricular activities are shown to perform better academically.<\/strong><\/p>\n Involvement in extracurricular activities has been shown to be associated with a student\u2019s success in continued education past high school.<\/strong><\/p>\n Revisiting O\u2019Brien and Rollefson\u2019s group of public high school seniors, less than half of the seniors who were not a part of extracurricular programs reported that they \u201cexpect to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree or higher,\u201d while three-fifths of the involved seniors reported that they foresaw earning a bachelor\u2019s degree.5<\/sup><\/p>\nAcademic Engagement<\/h2>\n
\nData suggests that involvement in extracurricular activities is associated with greater school participation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
\nAcademic achievement may be supported by student participation in extracurricular activities.<\/em><\/p>\nTransfer Theory<\/h3>\n
3. Future Education<\/h2>\n